Cairo: Arab states that have cut ties with Qatar vowed yesterday to maintain their boycott of the emirate, criticising its “negative” response to their list of demands to end the diplomatic crisis.
The foreign ministers of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE, meeting in Cairo, “regret the negative response from Qatar,” they said in a statement.
The meeting was held to co-ordinate their stance and a “clear, studied” decision would be taken later, Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said at a Press conference after the meeting. “The ministers agreed to follow up the situation and hold their next meeting in Manama,” the statement added.
US President Donald Trump spoke to Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah Al Sisi to urge all parties “to negotiate constructively”. Qatar must “stop terrorist financing and discredit extremist ideology,” he said.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Qatar’s response to the conditions had “no substance” and “reflects a lack of understanding of the gravity of the situation”.
The talks in Cairo came a month after the four countries severed ties with Qatar over Doha’s support for extremism.
“The boycott will remain,” Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir said.
The four Arab states stopped short of announcing new sanctions but Jubeir said they would “take steps at the appropriate time”.
“It is no longer possible to tolerate the destructive role played by the state of Qatar,” according to the statement.
“In this context, the four countries expressed their appreciation for the decisive position adopted by His Excellency President Donald Trump on the need for an immediate end to supporting extremism and terrorism and for their elimination, and for the intolerability of any violations by any party in this regard.”
UAE State Minister for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash predicted more isolation for Qatar. “Next greater isolation, incremental measures & reputational damage stemming from Doha’s continued support for extremism & terrorism,” he tweeted.