Gulf Crisis: Qatar Considers Arab States’ Demands ‘Unrealistic’ As New Deadline Looms

Local Editor

Qatar said some of the demands made by its neighbors are simply "impossible to meet" as the deadline for compliance to the ultimatum given to Doha was extended until midnight Tuesday.

The initial deadline was Sunday with Qatar's foreign minister saying it's working toward a "constructive" solution.

In June, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of sponsoring terrorism.

Those countries later presented Doha with a list of 13 demands, including shutting down its news channel Al Jazeera, ending support for the Muslim Brotherhood, downgrading ties with Iran and closing a military base housing Turkish troops on its territory.

The deadline to comply with the demands ended on Sunday, but the Gulf States and Egypt granted Qatar another 48 hours before the group would consider imposing further sanctions.

Speaking at a news conference in Doha Tuesday, Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said Saudi Arabia and its allies were asking too much.

"What Qatar has given in goodwill and good initiative for a constructive solution, based on dialogue, we believe should be sufficient [to show] we have carried out our duties from our side," said Al-Thani, adding, that some of the demands by the other Gulf states and Egypt are "unrealistic and is not actionable".

"The state of Qatar has adopted a very constructive attitude since the beginning of the crisis. We are trying to act mature and discuss the matter," he added.

Qatar, which unlike the other Arab states following Riyadh's lead enjoys a more independent foreign policy, denies any links to terrorism and says it will not back down to pressure.

Through Kuwait, which has been acting as intermediary, Qatar officially responded to the new deadline Monday, but what precisely was communicated has not yet been revealed.

Qatar's vast gas reserves make it one of the world's richest countries, but the ongoing crisis ferments further instability in the Middle East.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team