Qatar denounces Saudi refusal to negotiate demands
Qatar has denounced Saudi Arabia for its refusal to negotiate the demands presented by the kingdom and three of its allies to end the diplomatic row with the emirate.
Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the Saudi position was unacceptable.
He was speaking from Washington, where he met US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday.
"This is contrary to the principles that govern international relations because you can't just present lists of demands and refuse to negotiate," Sheikh Mohammed said in comments published in Doha.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain all cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar on June 5, after officially accusing it of “sponsoring terrorism.”
Shortly after that, the Saudi-led bloc of states issued a list of demands for Qatar to meet in return for a normalization of ties. Among them was that Qatar sever ties with Iran.
Doha was also asked to close down Al Jazeera, a media network that has reportedly been critical of the absolute monarchy in Saudi Arabia, shut a Turkish military base, and pay up “compensation” for “damages” from purported terror sponsorship. Qatar was given 10 days, as of June 23, to meet those demands.
On Tuesday, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Arab states' demands from Qatar are non-negotiable.
The United Arab Emirates also warned that Qatar should take the demands of its neighbors seriously or face "divorce" from them.
"The hour of truth is near," UAE state minister for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash said on his Twitter account.
"It's time for our brother (Qatar) to choose... honesty and transparency and to realize that media furore and ideological heroism are illusions."
"We have long suffered (Qatar's) conspiracy against our stability and witnessed its support for ideologies that aim to sow chaos in the Arab world. Enough. Return to reason," he added.
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