Doha: Qatar’s foreign affair ministry said it was “studying” the list of demands from Saudi Arabia and its allies in an escalating Gulf diplomatic crisis, “in order to prepare an appropriate response”.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt want Qatar to meet the 13-point ultimatum in return for an end to a nearly three-week-old diplomatic and trade boycott of the country.
Qatar has been given 10 days to meet the demands.
The four Arab governments delivered the demands to Qatar through mediator Kuwait on Thursday, more than two weeks after severing all ties with the country.
The document has not been published but has been widely leaked. They include the closure of Al Jazeera television, a long-standing source of conflict between Doha and neighbouring countries which accuse it of fomenting regional strife.
The ultimatum also include calls for Doha to cut ties to groups including the Muslim Brotherhood, the Daesh organisation, Al Qaida and Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.
Qatar has also been asked to hand over opposition figures wanted by its three neighbours and Egypt and to downgrade diplomatic ties with Iran.
Notably, it has also been told to shut a Turkish military base in the emirate.
