Qatar Given Extra 48-Hrs To Respond To Saudi Demands
Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah,[/caption]
Qatar has been granted extra 48 hours to respond to a list of demands from Saudi Arabia-led Arab states, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs says.
The request for an extension came from the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah, who has been acting as a mediator in the Gulf crisis.
The Kuwaiti government had requested the extension following Qatar’s announcement that it was due to hand over its response to it by Monday, the original deadline, the state-run Qatar News Agency said.
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With the deadline expiring today, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt decided to give Doha an extension to respond positively to their demands.
On June 23, the four Arab states issued a list of 13 demands to end the rift with Doha including closing Al-Jazeera television and cutting diplomatic ties with Iran.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir called the list “non-negotiable” last week.
They froze ties with Qatar on June 5 over its alleged support for terrorism.
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Qatar has rejected the accusations, calling them “unjustified” and “baseless.” Its foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, said the stiff demands, which include ejecting Turkish troops based there, would be rejected.
“There is no fear … Qatar is prepared to face whatever consequences,” Al-Thani said.
