Qatar demand snub ruffles Arab nations
Countries say Doha isn’t being ‘serious’ about terror claims.
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 that Qatar’s response to the Arab states’ 13-point list of demands was “negative on the whole” and did not “lay the foundations for Qatar’s abandonment of the policies it pursues.”
The ministers did not say what their next steps would be. They will meet next in Bahrain.
Some of the rhetoric by the four ministers, however, was clearly belligerent.
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.
The dispute erupted between Qatar and its neighbors erupted early last month. The sheikhdom denies supporting extremists and has defended its warm relations with Iran; the two countries share a massive undersea natural gas field.
The four nations issued a 13-point list of demands June 22, giving Qatar 10 days to comply. They later extended the deadline 48 hours at the request of Kuwait, which is trying to mediate the crisis.
Qatar’s response was not made public but it had previously called the demands — which include shutting down its Al-Jazeera satellite news network, closing a Turkish military base in the country and paying restitution — an affront to its sovereignty.