The Gulf countries leading a boycott of Qatar are no longer insisting it comply with a list of 13 specific demands they tabled last month.
Diplomats from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt told reporters at the UN they now wanted Qatar to accept six broad principles.
These include commitments to combat terrorism and extremism and to end acts of provocation and incitement.
There was no immediate comment from Qatar, which denies aiding terrorist groups.
Qatar has refused to agree to any measures that threaten its sovereignty or violate international law, and denounced the “siege” imposed by its neighbors.
The restrictions put in place six weeks ago have forced Qatar to import food by sea and air to meet the basic needs of its population of 2.7 million.
Image source Wikimedia
At a briefing for a group of UN correspondents in New York on July 18, diplomats from the four Gulf countries said they wanted to resolve the crisis amicably.
Saudi permanent representative Abdullah al-Mouallimi said their foreign ministers had agreed the six principles at a meeting in Cairo on July 5 and that they “should be easy for the Qataris to accept”.
According to the New York Times, they were combating terrorism and extremism, denying financing and safe havens to terrorist groups, stopping incitement to hatred and violence, and refraining from interfering in the internal affairs of other countries.
Abdullah al-Mouallimi stressed that there would be “no compromise” on the principles, but added that both sides would be able to discuss how to implement them.
The list of 13 demands handed to Qatar on June 22 included shutting down the Al Jazeera news network, closing a Turkish military base, cutting ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and downgrading relations with Iran.
Abdullah al-Mouallimi said closing Al Jazeera might not be necessary but stopping incitement to violence and hate speech was essential.
“If the only way to achieve that is by closing down Al Jazeera, fine,” he was quoted by the AP as saying.
“If we can achieve that without closing down Al Jazeera, that’s also fine. The important thing is the objective and the principle involved.”
UAE permanent representative Lana Nusseibeh warned that if Qatar was “unwilling to accept core principles around what defines terrorism or extremism in our region, it will be very difficult” for it to remain in the Gulf Co-operation Council.
Qatar has acknowledged providing assistance to Islamist groups designated as terrorist organizations by some of its neighbors, notably the Muslim Brotherhood. However, it has denied aiding jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda or ISIS.
UAE Minister of State for International Co-operation Reem al-Hashimi said: “At this stage, the ball is in Qatar’s court.”
She added that the US had “a very constructive and very important role to play in hopefully creating a peaceful resolution to this current crisis”.
President Donald Trump was quick to claim credit for the pressure being placed on Qatar, saying it might mark the “beginning of the end to the horror of terrorism”.
However, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson questioned the list of demands, acknowledging that some elements would “be very difficult for Qatar to meet”.
Also on July 18, NBC News cited US intelligence officials as disputing a report that alleged Qatar had paid a ransom of $1 billion to Iraqi Shia Muslim militias, Iranian security officials and Sunni Muslim jihadists in Syria as part of a deal to secure the release of royal family members kidnapped in Iraq.
The officials said Qatar had handed €300 million ($345 million) in cash to Iraq’s government but that Baghdad had confiscated the money after securing the hostages’ release.
The UAE has denied it was behind the alleged hacking of Qatar’s state news agency in May.
The Washington Post cited US intelligence officials as saying the UAE had orchestrated the posting of incendiary quotes attributed to Qatar’s emir that he insisted were fabricated.
The incident helped spark a diplomatic rift between Qatar and its neighbors.
Qatar said the report “unequivocally proves that this hacking crime took place”.
Swiss news network The Local said a fake news story quoting FIFA president Gianni Infantino had been posted on a copycat website on July 15.
The Washington Post‘s story cited unnamed US intelligence officials as saying newly-analyzed information confirmed that on May 23 senior members of the UAE government had discussed a plan to hack Qatari state media sites.
Image source Al Jazeera
Later that day, the official Qatar News Agency quoted Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani as criticising US “hostility” towards Iran, describing it as an “Islamic power that cannot be ignored”, and calling Hamas the “legitimate representative of the Palestinian people”.
Qatari officials said the agency had been hacked by an “unknown entity” and that the story had “no basis whatsoever”. However, the remarks were reported across the region and caused a stir.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt responded by blocking Qatari media.
Two weeks later, the four countries cut all links with Qatar over its alleged support for terrorism and relations with Iran. The boycott has caused turmoil in the oil- and gas-rich emirate, which is dependent on imports by land and sea for the basic needs of its population of 2.7 million.
The US intelligence officials told the Washington Post it was unclear whether the United Arab Emirates authorities had hacked the Qatar News Agency itself or paid a third party to do it.
The Qatari government communication office said in a statement: “The information published in the Washington Post… revealed the involvement of the United Arab Emirates and senior Emirati officials in the hacking of Qatar News Agency.”
The Guardian reported last month that an investigation by the FBI had concluded that freelance Russian hackers were responsible.
US intelligence agencies declined to comment on the Washington Post‘s article, but the UAE’s ambassador insisted that it “had no role whatsoever in the alleged hacking”.
“What is true is Qatar’s behavior. Funding, supporting, and enabling extremists from the Taliban to Hamas and Gaddafi. Inciting violence, encouraging radicalization, and undermining the stability of its neighbors,” Yousef al-Otaiba wrote in a statement posted on Twitter.
Qatar has acknowledged providing assistance to Islamist groups designated as terrorist organizations by some of its neighbors, notably the Muslim Brotherhood. However, it has denied aiding jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda or ISIS.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, which lead a boycott against Qatar, have described Doha’s rejection of their demands as a threat to regional security.
In a statement, the Saudi-led bloc also warned of unspecified new measures.
Last month they cut all ties with Qatar, in effect imposing a land blockade on the tiny emirate.
In a July 6 statement, the bloc said Qatar’s rejection of their 13 demands “reflects its intention to continue its policy, aimed at destabilizing security in the region”.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates also threatened new political and economic measures against Qatar, without providing any further details.
Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani has described the cutting of ties with his country as “a siege that is a clear aggression and an insult”.
He said earlier this week: “The answer to our disagreement is not blockades and ultimatums, it is dialogue and reason.”
Qatar is dependent on imports to meet the basic needs of its population of 2.7 million.
As Qatar’s only land border is now closed, food is having to be shipped or flown in.
Four Gulf countries are to discuss the Qatar crisis, a month after they severed ties with the state.
The meeting of foreign ministers of Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in Cairo comes on the day a deadline expires for Qatar to accept a list of demands or face further sanctions.
The demands to Qatar including shutting down the Al Jazeera network and scaling down ties with Iran.
Qatar has called the list of demands “unrealistic and not actionable”.
The country is accused of destabilizing the region by supporting extremism and terrorism – which it denies.
Image source Wikimedia
Qatar has been under unprecedented diplomatic and economic sanctions from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain.
The restrictions have caused turmoil in the oil- and gas-rich nation, which is dependent on imports to meet the basic needs of its population of 2.7 million.
On July 3, Saudi Arabia and its allies gave Qatar an extra two days to accept their ultimatum for restoring relations, after an earlier 10-day deadline expired.
The authorities in Doha have responded to the demands – but no details have been publicly released. Qatar has said the demands break international law.
On July 4, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani described the demands as unrealistic.
“It’s not about terrorism, it’s talking about shutting down the freedom of speech,” he said.
The four Gulf countries accuse Qatar of harboring Islamist groups that they consider terrorist organizations – including the Muslim Brotherhood – and giving them a platform on the Al Jazeera channel, which is funded by the Qatari state.
Qatar denies the accusations.
As a result of the sanctions, Iran and Turkey have been increasingly supplying Qatar with food and other goods.
On July 4, Qatar announced plans for a steep rise in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) production capacity over the coming years.
Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani was in Kuwait on July 3 to hand over a formal response in the form of a letter from the emir of Qatar to the emir of Kuwait, the main mediator in the Gulf crisis.
Image source Wikimedia
In a statement released shortly beforehand, lawyers for Qatar denounced the demands and called for international condemnation.
They said the tactics were “reminiscent of the extreme and punitive conduct of <<bully>> states that have historically resulted in war.
“The world must unite immediately to halt the singling out of Qatar for unjustified collective punishment and humiliation and to preserve peace, security and prosperity in the region.”
Qatar has been under unprecedented diplomatic and economic sanctions for weeks from Saudi Arabia and its allies, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain.
The four Gulf countries, whose foreign ministers will meet on July 5 to discuss the situation, have accused Qatar of harboring Islamist groups that they consider terrorist organizations – including the Muslim Brotherhood – and giving them a platform on the Al Jazeera satellite channel, which is funded by the Qatari state. Doha denies the accusations.
The imposed restrictions have caused turmoil in Qatar, an oil- and gas-rich nation dependent on imports to meet the basic needs of its population of 2.7 million. As a result, Iran and Turkey have been increasingly supplying it with food and other goods.
An unnamed official from one of the four countries told Reuters that Qatar was also being asked to sever links with so-called Islamic State, al-Qaeda and Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah.
The demands have not been officially unveiled. Their publication has increased the friction between the two sides.
Qatar has rejected a list of 13 conditions set by four Arab states for lifting sanctions with its foreign minister saying it is neither reasonable nor actionable.
The Arab country is under strict sanctions from Saudi Arabia and its allies, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain. They accuse Qatar of backing terrorism.
Among other things, the four countries have demanded the closure of Al Jazeera TV, which is funded by the Qatari government.
Al Jazeera accused them of trying to “silence freedom of expression”.
Qatar has been under unprecedented diplomatic and economic sanctions for more than two weeks, with Iran and Turkey increasingly supplying it with food and other goods.
It denies accusations that it is funding terrorism and fostering regional instability.
The four countries also want Qatar to reduce its ties with Iran and close a Turkish military base, setting a deadline on June 23 of 10 days.
The government is reviewing the demands, a spokesman has said.
However, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, quoted by Al-Jazeera, said: “The US secretary of state recently called upon the blockading nations to produce a list of grievances that was <<reasonable and actionable>>.
“The British foreign secretary asked that the demands be <<measured and realistic>>. This list does not satisfy that [sic] criteria.”
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said the demands were proof that the sanctions had “nothing to do with combating terrorism… [but] limiting Qatar’s sovereignty, and outsourcing our foreign policy”.
In a statement, Al Jazeera said: “We assert our right to practice our journalism professionally without bowing to pressure from any government or authority.”
Qatar’s main import routes – by land from Saudi Arabia and by sea from container ships docked in the UAE – have been disrupted and much of the surrounding airspace has been closed to its air traffic.
However, Qatar has so far avoided economic collapse by finding alternative routes.
Qatari citizens living in neighboring countries or with family living there have been hit harder, Reuters notes, because of ultimatums issued for them to leave.
Correspondents say there has been frustration in Washington over the time taken by the Saudis and others to formalize their demands.
However, the Arab states involved in the crisis are all close allies of the US while the largest American base in the Middle East is in Qatar.
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