Turkey rejects Arab terms to Qatar

U.S. urges all sides to ‘sit together’ to talk, Erdogan sends supplies on cargo planes

ISTANBUL — Turkey’s president on Sunday rejected a demand by major Arab states to remove Turkish troops from Qatar, among a sweeping list of ultimatums that the United States has described as “difficult to meet.”

Speaking after Eid al-Fitr prayers in Istanbul, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the demand to pull the Turkish troops “disrespectful” and said his country would not seek permission from others when making its defence co-operation agreements. “Demanding that Turkey pull its soldiers is unfortunately also disrespectful toward Turkey,” he said.

He said Turkey would continue to support Qatar against the many sanctions it has faced since several Arab countries moved earlier this month to isolate the country for its alleged support of terrorism. Turkey shipped suppliers and food via cargo planes to Qatar after its neighbours closed down air, land and sea routes.

The United States said the demands on Qatar by its Mideast neighbours “will be very difficult to meet.” But the U.S. isn’t rejecting the demands outright.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson added in a statement Sunday that the list of demands from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates includes major areas that “provide a basis for ongoing dialogue leading to a resolution.” He called on the Arab countries to “sit together” with Qatar to work through what he hoped would be “reasonable and actionable” demands.

In a sign of support, the Turkish parliament swiftly ratified a 2014 military agreement with Qatar earlier this month, allowing the deployment of troops to its base there. The military said a contingent of 23 soldiers reached Doha on Thursday. Turkey has also shipped supplies via cargo planes.

Erdogan said he made a similar offer to Saudi Arabia to set up a base there in the past but did not hear back from the king.

A Turkish foreign ministry statement Sunday reiterated the deployment of Turkish troops in Qatar contributed to regional security and was not aimed at a specific country.

Doha received a 13-point list from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain that included demands to shut down the media network Al-Jazeera and cut ties with Islamist groups including the Muslim Brotherhood. The energy-rich country said it was reviewing the ultimatum, but added it would not negotiate under siege.

Turkey’s president said his country “admires and embraces” Qatar’s attitude, while slamming the demands by arguing they contradict international law.