Press TV - Qatar has rejected new claims by a Saudi-led bloc of countries that it finances terrorism and intervenes in their internal affairs.
The State of Qatars position on terrorism is consistent and known for its rejection and condemnation of all forms of terrorism, whatever the causes and motives, the state Qatar News Agency quoted a senior Foreign Ministry source as saying on Friday.
The bloc, consisting of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, severed diplomatic ties and cut all land, sea, and air routes with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of supporting terrorism and destabilizing the region, allegations denied by Doha.
They later issued a 13-point list of demands for Doha to meet in order for the relations to be restored. Among them was that Qatar close a Turkish military base, limit its ties with Iran, and compensate the sanctioning countries. They also demanded that Al Jazeera, a media network that has reportedly been critical of Saudi Arabia and the other boycotting countries, be closed.
Qatar has said those demands reveal how the Saudi-blocs pretext for the severance of ties with Doha, i.e. the accusation that Qatar sponsors terror, is just that: a pretext. Doha has refused to meet the unreasonable demands, but it has also voiced readiness for a negotiated solution to the standoff.
Foreign ministers from the bloc of countries boycotting Qatar met in Cairo on Wednesday. They later released a statement, saying Dohas rejection of the demands proved its link with terrorism.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="555"]
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (R) shakes hands with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir (R) as Emirati Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan stands by, during a joint press conference after a meeting in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, July 5, 2017. (Photo by AFP)[/caption]The Qatari Foreign Ministry official dismissed the claim as baseless and tantamount to defamation. The source said, however, that Qatar was ready to cooperate and review all claims that do not contradict the sovereignty of the State of Qatar.
The foreign ministers of the boycotting countries also said the list of the collective demands was now void and they pledged further political, economic, and legal steps against Qatar. This is while at least one of the Saudi-led countries had previously said no further escalation of the dispute was planned.
