Middle East | Qatar stands firm, rejecting Arab demands as deadline looms

Qatar said Saturday it doesn’t fear any military retaliation for refusing to meet a Monday deadline to comply with a list of demands from four Arab states that have imposed a de-facto blockade on the Gulf nation.

During a visit to Rome, Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani again rejected the demands as an infringement on Qatar’s sovereignty. He said any country is free to raise grievances with Qatar, provided they have proof, but said any such conflicts should be worked out through negotiation, not by imposing ultimatums.

“We believe that the world is governed by international laws, that don’t allow big countries to bully small countries,” he told a press conference. “No one has the right to issue to a sovereign country an ultimatum.”

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates cut diplomatic ties with Qatar earlier this month and shut down land, sea and air links. They issued a 13-point list of demands, including curbing diplomatic ties to Iran, severing ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and shuttering the Al-Jazeera news network. They accuse Qatar of supporting regional terror groups, a charge Qatar denies.

Al Thani rejected the demands and said they were never meant to be accepted.

“There is no fear from whatever action would be taken; Qatar is prepared to face whatever consequences,” he said. “But as I have mentioned… there is an international law that should not be violated and there is a border that should not be crossed.”

While in Rome, Al Thani met with Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano, who backed the Kuwait-led mediation effort and urged the countries involved in the standoff to “abstain from further actions that could aggravate the situation.”

He added that he hoped Italian companies could further consolidate their presence in Qatar.

Meanwhile, Qatar’s stock exchange dropped following an extended holiday closure as the deadline looms.

The benchmark QE Index lost more than 3 percent yesterday before recovering some of its losses later in the trading session to close 2.3 percent down.

The market was last open before the Eid al-Fitr holiday on June 22. That was the day that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain issued their ultimatum with just 10 days to comply. The countries involved have not detailed what immediate penalties, if any, Qatar will face. MDT/AP

Turkey adamant to keep military base

Qatar’s defense minister held talks with his Turkish counterpart on Friday as the Gulf nation’s feud with four other major Arab states deepens amid a sweeping list of demands to Doha, including the closure of a Turkish military base there. Turkey is adamant to keep its base in the small Gulf Arab state and has sided with Qatar in the dispute. In a sign of support, Turkey shipped supplies to Doha to help ease its isolation and swiftly ratified military agreements with Qatar, allowing the deployment of soldiers to its base. A contingent of 23 troops departed for Doha last week, joining some 90 soldiers already there.