Arab countries insist on their demands to contain threat

The states confronting terrorism renewed on Wednesday their insistence on the demands as a condition to restore ties with Qatar, in the conclusion of the quintet meeting in Jeddah that included foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt in addition to the US secretary of state.

The meeting was held to discuss the aggravating crisis since the four states’ announcement of cutting diplomatic ties with Doha on June 5 and accusation of funding terrorist groups. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ended on Wednesday talks in Jeddah with his four counterparts before heading to Kuwait that is playing the mediator role in the crisis – then he will travel to Doha within his Gulf tour.

Diplomats affirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the four states insisted on the 13 demands and stressed the importance of Doha abiding by its previous pledges – an Emirati official told Reuters that any solution to the crisis should tackle all concerns of the four states.

Tillerson attained a breakthrough in this crisis but a limited one during his visit to Doha by which the latter agreed to sign an agreement that puts international monitoring on funding operations to limit financing terrorism.

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmad Abu Zaid stated that the meeting tackled various dimensions of the Qatari crisis and showcased pertinent updates.

While the region bids the US secretary of state goodbye, it hosts next Saturday and Sunday France Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian who is to hold a Gulf tour to call for a quick truce for the unprecedented crisis between Qatar and its neighbors.The French minister will presume efforts made by the US state of secretary and foreign ministers of Germany and Britain.

Anwar Gargash, the UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, sent a formal complaint to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights on Wednesday alleging that Al Jazeera supported terrorism, sectarianism and anti-Semitism.

Al Jazeera, which has denied allegations of stoking violence and says it practices free speech, did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.

Saudi state news agency said Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Isik, whose country backs Qatar in the dispute, discussed bilateral defense ties with his Saudi counterpart, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in a telephone call on Wednesday.

On its hand, Egypt has reiterated its concerns over Qatar's "backing of terrorism," saying that resolving the row with Doha is dependent on the state's "positive response" to demands issued by the four Arab countries boycotting it.

The remarks by Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry came during a meeting between US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and his counterparts from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, in a bid to end the month-long rift with Qatar, the worst dispute among Gulf Arab states in decades.

No advance in the efforts was immediately announced.

During the talks, Shoukry "reiterated concerns about Qatar's backing of terrorism, asserting that Egypt maintains the demands presented by the four countries to Qatar," a foreign ministry statement said on Wednesday.

Three weeks ago the four states issued a list of 13 demands of Qatar; they include downgrading ties with Iran, shutting down broadcaster Al Jazeera, closing a military base in the country, and handing over alleged terrorists residing within its territory. 

The demands were issued with a two-week deadline, which was not met; the boycotting states subsequently condemned Qatar's response as "not serious” and "negative," saying Doha's refusal to meet the demands proves its links to terror groups.

"Reaching a settlement to the crisis is dependent on a positive response from Qatar to these demands, and on the country ending its support for terrorism and terrorist groups," Shoukry was quoted in the statement as saying during Wednesday's meeting.