{"id":333588,"date":"2017-07-03T09:38:48","date_gmt":"2017-07-03T09:38:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=333588"},"modified":"2017-07-03T09:38:48","modified_gmt":"2017-07-03T09:38:48","slug":"qatar-given-new-deadline-on-gulf-demands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/07\/qatar-given-new-deadline-on-gulf-demands\/","title":{"rendered":"Qatar given new deadline on Gulf demands"},"content":{"rendered":"
Saudi Arabia and three other Arab states have extended the deadline for Qatar to accept a list of demands or face further sanctions by 48 hours.<\/p>\n
The initial deadline for Qatar to agree to the group’s 13 demands, including the shutting down of the Al Jazeera news network, expired on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The Gulf state, which denies funding extremism, is expected to submit a formal response later.<\/p>\n
It has called the demands an “affront to international law”.<\/p>\n
Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani arrived in Kuwait on Monday to deliver a formal response in a letter, according to Al Jazeera. The letter is from the emir of Qatar to the emir of Kuwait, who is the main mediator in the Gulf crisis.<\/p>\n
In a statement released shortly beforehand, lawyers for Qatar denounced the tactics and called for international condemnation.<\/p>\n
They said the demands were “reminiscent of the extreme and punitive conduct of ‘bully’ states that have historically resulted in war”.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
On Saturday, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani said the state had rejected the demands, but was ready to engage in dialogue under the right conditions.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
On 23 June, the four countries, whose foreign ministers will meet on Wednesday to discuss the situation,\u00a0set a deadline of 10 days\u00a0for Qatar to agree to their requirements, which include the closure of a Turkish military base and the curbing of diplomatic relations with Iran.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain have accused Qatar of harbouring Islamist groups that they consider terrorist organisations – including the Muslim Brotherhood – and giving them a platform on the Al Jazeera satellite channel, which is funded by the Qatari state.<\/p>\n