Qatar’s dismissal rankles Arab states
Foreign ministers push 13-point list of demands
CAIRO — Four Arab nations seeking to isolate Qatar over its alleged support for extremist groups were angered Wednesday by what they said was a “negative” response by the tiny Gulf nation to their demands for ending the crisis roiling the region.
Doha’s response, they said, was “not serious” and betrayed Qatar’s “failure” to realize the gravity of the situation.
The announcement followed a meeting by foreign ministers from the four nations — Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain — in Cairo, shortly after they said they had received Doha’s reply.
The four accuse Qatar of supporting terror groups and also of maintaining close relations with Shiite power Iran — Saudi Arabia’s nemesis. They also say Qatar must stop meddling in their affairs.
Egypt’s foreign minister, Sameh Shukri, told reporters Qatar’s response to the Arab states’ 13-point list of demands was “negative on the whole.” It did not “lay the foundations for Qatar’s abandonment of the policies it pursues. It’s a position that does not realize the gravity of the situation,” he added.
The ministers did not say what their next steps would be — that, they explained, would be announced after further consultations. They will meet next in Bahrain, but date has yet to be set.
“We hope wisdom will prevail and Qatar will eventually make the right decisions,” added Shukri, who said the four nations were acting against Qatar within the boundaries of international law, as well as the interest to safeguard regional and international security.
Some of the rhetoric by the four ministers, however, was clearly belligerent.
The Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said Qatar was only interested in “destruction, incitement, extremism and terrorism,” rather than in good neighborly relations.
Shukri said Qatar’s policies could not be allowed to continue and vowed that Egyptian blood would not be shed in vain, a reference to deadly attacks by militants on Egyptian army and security forces. Cairo has long accused Qatar of supporting extremists, including the Muslim Brotherhood, a group Egypt outlawed and branded a terrorist organization shortly after the military in 2013 ousted President Mohammed Morsi, a Brotherhood member.
Earlier Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump, called on all parties in the dispute to “negotiate constructively” and to “stop terrorist financing and discredit extremist ideology.”
A White House statement said Trump’s call for a negotiated settlement came in a telephone conversation with Egyptian President Abdel-fattah el-sissi.
The dispute erupted early last month when the four Arab countries cut ties to the FIFA 2022 World Cup host. Qatar denies supporting extremists and has defended its warm relations with Iran; the two countries share a massive undersea natural gas field.