4 Arab nations slam ‘negative’ Qatar response to 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 underscored Qatar’s “failure” to realize the gravity of the situation. The announcement followed a meeting by foreign ministers fromthe four nations — Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain— in Cairo.
The four accuse Qatar of supporting terror groups and of maintaining close relations with Iran, Saudi Arabia’s nemesis. They also say Qatar must stop meddling in their affairs.
Egypt’s foreign minister, Sameh Shukri, told reporters that 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,” he added.
Theministers did not say what their next steps would be. 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.
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 and providing refuge and financial backing for 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, 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 statementsaidTrump’s call for a negotiated settlement came in a phone conversation with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.
The dispute erupted early last month when the four Arab countries cut ties to Qatar, the FIFA 2022 World Cup host. Qatar denies supporting extremists and has defended its relations with Iran; the two countries share a massive undersea natural gas field.
Thefour nations issued a 13-point list of demands on June 22, giving Qatar 10 days to comply. They later extended the deadline by 48 hours at the request of Kuwait, which is trying to mediate the crisis. That second deadline expired earlyWednesday.
Qatar’s responsewas not made public, but it had previously called the demands — which include shutting down its AlJazeera satellite news network, closing a Turkish military base in the country and paying restitution— an affront to its sovereignty.
Qatar, theworld’s biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas, hosts some 10,000 American troops at its sprawling Al Udeid Air Base. Secretary of StateRex Tillerson has been trying to ease tensions even as Trump’s earlier comments on Qatar funding extremist groups seemed to back the four countries’ position.
The nations could impose financial sanctions or force Qatar out of the Gulf Cooperation Council, a regional body that serves as a counterbalance to Iran.
On Tuesday, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel visited officials in both theUnited Arab Emirates and Qatar. He said Germany supported the UAE’s efforts at confronting those who fund extremists but also urged the GCC to find common ground.
“For us (Europeans), the GCC is the guarantor of stability and security in the region,” he said.
The credit ratings agency Moody’s warned Wednesday that it had set Qatar’s economic outlook to negative over the crisis.
At the U.N., spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Wednesday that SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres has sent U.N. political chief Jeffrey Feltman to the Persian Gulf to discusshowthe world organization could help resolve the crisis.