Doha: Qatar will remain cut off from its neighbours unless its leaders completely meet the demands of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition, a senior Saudi official said, even as a top US diplomat continued efforts towards a negotiated settlement.
“We made our point, we took our steps and it’s up to the Qataris to amend their behaviour,” Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir told reporters on Tuesday at his country’s embassy in Washington.
Once they do, “then things will be worked out. But if they don’t, they will remain isolated”.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE and Egypt severed air, sea and land links with Qatar this month, saying they were isolating Qatar over ties to Iran and support for Islamist groups.
After US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged the bloc to lay out its demands, the coalition last week presented Qatar with 13 requirements to end the standoff.
Tillerson met Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammad Al Thani in Washington on Tuesday.
The list of demands, which Tillerson has described as “very difficult” for Qatar to comply with, includes shutting down the state-sponsored Al Jazeera TV network, cutting back diplomatic ties with Iran, severing relations with the Muslim Brotherhood; and ending Turkey’s military presence in Qatar. Qatar was given 10 days to respond.
Al Jubeir maintained on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia wouldn’t budge from its stance, saying other countries, including the US, want Qatar to cease its activities.
US President Donald Trump has said the Saudi-led alliance was right to act against Qatar.
Kuwait is helping to mediate the impasse and has been in touch with all sides, including “countries outside the region”, Al Jubeir said.
“Does anyone in the US government support Qatar harboring terrorists and terror financiers? No one,” Al Jubeir said. “We hope that reason will prevail and that our brethren in Qatar will do the right thing.”
