Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Adel al-Jubeir said that there will be no negotiations on the requirements for Qatar, according to the channel Al Arabiya.

Jubeir, talking to reporters, said that there will be no negotiations on the requirements of Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries for Qatar in connection with the rupture of diplomatic relations because of accusations of supporting terrorism.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, along with Egypt, cut diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar in early June, accusing the country of supporting "extremism" and their regional neighbor, Iran - charges that Doha has repeatedly denied.

Four Arab countries demand from Qatar to comply with 13 points in return for an end to a three-week-old diplomatic and trade boycott of the country.

In the ultimatum, they demand to shut down a Turkish military base in Doha, shutting the Al Jazeera TV channel and curbing ties with Iran.

Qatar's Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdel Rahman Al Thani, who was on a visit to Washington, earlier voiced his country’s readiness for a dialogue on the requirements of the Arab countries, if they are rational and supported by evidence.

"What has been presented by the countries of the blockade are merely claims that are not proved by evidence and are not demands," Sheikh Mohammed was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera TV channel. "The demands must be realistic and enforceable and otherwise are unacceptable."

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with the Qatari Foreign Minister at the State Department on June 27.

Tillerson has said he hopes the list of demands would be "reasonable and actionable". On Sunday, Tillerson said that while some elements of the series of requests made by the four countries would be "very difficult for Qatar to meet", "there are significant areas which provide a basis for ongoing dialogue leading to resolution".

Meanwhile, UAE Ambassador to Russia Omar Sayf Said Ghobash said in an interview with the Guardian newspaper that a number of economic sanctions that could be taken against Qatar are currently being discussed.

The exclusion of Qatar from the Council of Cooperation of the Arab States of the Persian Gulf, which is often referred to as a possible sanction, is not the only available option, according to Ghobash.

He added: "If Qatar was not willing to accept the demands, it is a case of 'Goodbye Qatar' we do not need you in our tent anymore."

--

Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz