Clock ticks for Qatar to accept demands

Dubai: On the eve of the deadline set by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt for  Qatar to accept a list of 13 demands, King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa of Bahrain stressed the need for Doha to rectify its policies.

King Hamad received a phone call from Russian President  Vladimir Putin. The phone call focused on consultations regarding regional developments, particularly diplomatic relations with Qatar as well as other issues.

During the phone call with Putin, King Hamad stressed the necessity for Qatar to rectify its policies in a way that affirms its commitments to its past obligations and meets the demands submitted to Doha — for the sake of the security of the whole region and the interest of all sides, including Qatar.

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The demands set by the four countries include curbing ties with Iran,  cutting off any joint military cooperation with Iran, severing all ties to terrorist groups, specifically the Muslim Brotherhood, Daesh, Al Qaida and Lebanon’s Hezbollah and declaring those entities as terrorist groups, shutting down Al Jazeera and its affiliate stations, terminating the Turkish military presence in Qatar and ending any joint military cooperation with Turkey in Qatar.

The four countries have said the demands are not negotiable and warned that further measures will follow if Qatar does not comply.

UAE ambassador to Russia Omar Gobash has said Qatar could face fresh sanctions if it does not comply with the demands. 

The Gulf states could ask their trading partners to choose between working with them or Doha, he said in a newspaper interview.