Defiant Qatar faces sanctions as crisis deepens

SAUDI ARABIA and its allies yesterday said they would press ahead with new measures against Qatar after the Gulf state failed to meet a range of demands.

The four nations – Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the UAE – did not say what their next moves would be but their stance indicates the Gulf crisis that flared last month is likely to continue for some time.

The group had given Qatar until Wednesday to accept their demands, including the closure of the al-jazeera television network and the expulsion of Turkish troops from its territory, but Qatar refused.

“The Qatari government has thwarted all diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis, which confirms its intransigence and its rejection to any settlement, reflecting its intention to continue its policy aimed at destabilising the security of the region,” the group said in a joint statement.

The Qatari government said the fact its opponents had not already announced new sanctions was a sign they had expected Qatar to capitulate immediately and did not have a strategy for the future.

“They look at this situation one step at a time and they don’t look to the longer term. Embarrassment is playing a big role in this and now they want to save face,” said Sheikh Saif Bin Ahmed Al-thani, the government’s chief spokesman.

He insisted that his country could manage even if the Saudi-led blockade continued for some time. “We can hold on for years,” he said.