Anti-Qatar bloc escalates crisis, putting Kuwaiti mediation in doubt

The four Arab countries isolating Qatar are vowing to take additional steps against the energy rich Gulf state after it refused to accept their demands for undermining its sovereignty

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab & agencies

07 July, 2017

Portrait of Qatar's Emir has become a symbol of defiance in Doha [AFP]

The four Arab countries blockading Qatar are vowing to take additional steps against the energy rich Gulf state after it refused to accept their demands to end the isolation.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain said in a statement carried early on Friday on the Emirati state news agency WAM that they will “take all necessary political, economic and legal measures” against Qatar in a “timely manner.”

They did not specify what those steps could include.

The four countries cut diplomatic ties and severed air, land and sea links with World Cup 2022 host Qatar early last month.

The anti-Qatar bloc later issued a 10-day ultimatum to a 13-point list of demands, which include shutting down media platforms such as Al Jazeera and The New Arab.

Other demands include for Qatar to curtail its alleged support for the Muslim Brotherhood, close a Turkish military base in Doha and downgrade its ties with Iran.

Qatar denies supporting extremism and sees the ultimatum as an affront to its sovereignty.

The four states claimed measures are not aimed at the Qatari people, but human rights groups have documented thousands of violations against ordinary Qataris and expats resulting from the blockade.

Although the four states claimed in the statement their measures are not aimed at the Qatari people, Qatar's National Human Rights Commission has documented thousands of violations of the rights of ordinary Qataris and expats resulting from the blockade.

The four states claimed the Qatari government by allegedly leaking, and rejecting, their demands "sabotaged diplomatic efforts to solve the rift", and that its refusal affirmed its "continuing sabotage of the region's stability and security".

Foreign ministers from the four states convened in Cairo the day before after the expiry of a 10-day deadline for their demands to be met.

They condemned the small Gulf nation's response as "negative" and lacking in content.

The threat of escalation by the anti-Qatar bloc puts Kuwaiti mediation efforts in doubt, in a crisis that has drawn in the United States.

On Thursday, the US State Department said it is increasingly concerned that the rift between Qatar and other Arab states is at an impasse and could drag on for a long time or even intensify.

Underscoring US concerns about a crisis involving key allies in the Middle East, the department said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson plans to visit Kuwait, which is mediating in the dispute, on Monday.

Qatar hosts the largest US Air Force base in the region.