Arab States give Qatar 10 days to cut ties with Iran, shut Al Jazeera & more
The Arab states have issued a severe list of demands to Qatar, which includes giving Doha 10 days to cut ties with Iran, shutting down Al Jazeera, closing a Turkish military base and paying a fine.
In the 13-point list, the countries also demand that Qatar sever all alleged ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and with other groups including Hezbollah, al-Qaeda and Daesh (ISIS/ISIL) terrorists group.
The Associated Press reported Thursday night that the list of demands was released by Kuwait, which is helping mediate the country’s dispute. The list demanded that Qatar end all military cooperation with Turkey as well as an unspecified sum of money.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain broke ties with Qatar this month over allegations the Persian Gulf country funds terrorism — an accusation that President Donald Trump has echoed. Those countries have now given Qatar 10 days to comply with all of the demands.
The demands aimed at ending the worst Gulf Arab crisis in years appear designed to quash a two decade-old foreign policy in which Qatar has punched well above its weight, striding the stage as a peace broker, often in conflicts in Muslim lands.
The U.S. has been pushing Saudi Arabia and the other nations to release their demands.
On Tuesday, the State Department said it was “mystified” that the countries had not been more forthcoming with demands after implementing the blockade.
“The more the time goes by, the more doubt is raised about the actions taken by Saudi Arabia and the UAE,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.
“At this point, we are left with one simple question: Were the actions really about their concerns regarding Qatar’s alleged support for terrorism, or were they about the long-simmering grievances between and among the GCC countries?” she said, referring to the Gulf Cooperation Council.
