By: MnM | 07-02-2017 | News
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Qatar Defies Saudi Arabia Ignoring Their 13 Demands

Qatar's minister of foreign affairs, Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani said that his country rejects the list of demands made by the Arab countries besieged, but at the same time is ready to "engage in dialogue and negotiation if conditions are met." The Qatari foreign minister reiterated at a press conference the Italian capital Rome that his country would not accept anything that violates its sovereignty, pointing out that these demands were "submitted to be rejected" and that they violate international law.He stressed that the aim of these demands is to impose a mechanism of control over Qatar.He added that countries that accuse Qatar of terrorism have institutions and personalities accused of financing terrorism and carrying out terrorist operations.

This comes at a time of continuing diplomatic efforts to resolve what was described as the worst crisis in the Gulf countries for decades.

In a telephone conversation with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed the importance of sticking to diplomacy to resolve the crisis in the Gulf."Putin stressed the importance of political-diplomatic efforts aimed at overcoming differences of opinion and normalizing the current difficult situation," a Kremlin statement said.The leaders of Russia and Qatar also discussed energy and investment cooperation between the two countries, the statement added.

Kuwait, which handed over the demands to Qatar, has adopted a mediation initiative between the parties to the conflict in the Gulf crisis.

Al-Thani stressed that his country is trying to take constructive positions with the Kuwaiti mediation, but criticized the Arab League, which has not moved since the imposition of the siege measures on Qatar.

The BBC's Arab affairs editor, Sebastian Asher, says that despite calls from world leaders for dialogue and a settlement of the dispute, there are no clear signs of significant progress in this regard

The Qatari minister stressed that Balada will not close a military base in Turkey or close the Al Jazeera channel as requested by the besieged countries, and continued to say to those who want to close the island to come channel rivaling."Qatar does not see the possibility of military action and I think there is enough wisdom to avoid the escalation of the current crisis."The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain imposed a blockade and severe economic sanctions on Qatar and sent a list of 13 demands demanded by Doha to respond to resolve the crisis.

They also called on Qatar to reduce its ties with Iran and to close a 10-day Turkish military base in Qatar to meet those demands.The four countries have stressed that their demands are not negotiable and warned of other unspecified measures that would be taken if Qatar rejected those demands.

For more than three weeks, Qatar has been subjected to diplomatic boycotts and unprecedented economic sanctions in the Gulf, prompting Turkey and Iran to provide more food and other goods to help Qatar overcome the effects of the boycott.

Qatar denies accusations against it of supporting and financing terrorism and undermining regional peace and stability.

Source:

http://www.bbc.com/arabic/middleeast-40468479

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