Qatar has rejected a list of demands submitted by Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, calling it “neither reasonable nor actionable”, Al Jazeera reported on Saturday. The list was received by Qatar’s ministry of foreign affairs on June 22, Al Jazeera said quoting the state-run Qatar News Agency.

“This list of demands confirms what Qatar has said from the beginning – the illegal blockade has nothing to do with combating terrorism, it is about limiting Qatar’s sovereignty, and outsourcing our foreign policy,” said Sheikh Saif al-Thani, the director of Qatar’s government communications office, in a statement to Reuters. He added that the list provided did not satisfy the criteria set by the United States and Britain, who had asked for demands that would be realistic.

Qatar also said it is reviewing the demands and is preparing an official response to them. Qatar will hand over its response to Kuwait, which is mediating the crisis, the Qatar News Agency said, citing a statement by the ministry of foreign affairs.

Qatar’s ambassador to the US, Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani, also criticised the list of demands, calling it an attempt to “suppress free media and freedom of speech” and “infringe upon our sovereignity and punish Qatar for its independence”.

The list presented to Qatar by the Arab countries demanded that it cut ties with Iran, hand over extremists and shut down Al Jazeera. It also demanded compensation and called for an end to Turkey’s military presence in Qatar, among other things.

On June 5, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt had severed diplomatic relations with Qatar accusing it of backing terrorism. Other countries in the region had followed. US President Donald Trump had supported the action, but Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis had called for mediation and a quick resolution of the dispute. </s> DUBAI: Turkey on Friday rejected a key demand by several Arab states involved in a major dispute with Qatar, saying Ankara has no plans to shut down its military base in the small Gulf country.

The demand that Turkey pull out its forces was one of a steep list of ultimatums from Saudi Arabia and others Qatari neighbors that includes shuttering broadcaster Al-Jazeera, curbing back diplomatic relations with Iran and severing all ties with the Muslim Brotherhood. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the 13-point list in Arabic from one of the countries involved in the dispute.

Qatar has confirmed receiving the list Thursday from Kuwait, which is mediating the dispute, but has not yet commented on them.

Rather than focus narrowly on alleged Qatari financing for extremism, the 13-point catalog of demands illustrates the sweeping change in direction that Qatar's neighbors are insisting the tiny, gas-rich nation must undertake to align itself with Saudi Arabia's broader vision for the region. Though Qatar is likely to reject it, the list answers the growing call from the United States and from Qatar for the countries to put their grievances in writing.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain broke ties with Qatar and restricted access to land, sea and air routes earlier this month over allegations it funds terrorism — an accusation Doha rejects but that President Donald Trump has echoed. The move has left Qatar, whose only land border is shared with Saudi Arabia, under a de facto blockade by its neighbors.

Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik said on Friday that the Turkish base aims to train Qatari soldiers and increase the tiny Persian Gulf nation's security. According to the Milliyet newspaper's online edition, he also said that "no one should be disturbed by" the Turkish presence in Qatar.

Turkey has sided with Qatar in the dispute and its parliament has ratified legislation allowing the deployment of Turkish troops to the base. The military said a contingent of 23 soldiers reached Doha on Thursday.

Qatar has insisted its neighbors are trying to force it to bend to their will on a much broader set of issues, and as the crisis has dragged on, the U.S. has started publicly questioning whether ulterior motives are involved.

Earlier this week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned the demands must be "reasonable and actionable." The U.S. issued that litmus test amid frustration at how long it was taking Saudi Arabia and others to formalize a list of demands, complicating U.S. efforts to bring about a resolution to the worst Gulf diplomatic crisis in years.

Qatar vehemently denies funding or supporting extremism. But the country acknowledges that it allows members of some extremist groups such as Hamas to reside in Qatar, arguing that fostering dialogue with those groups is key to resolving global conflicts.

According to the list, Qatar must stop granting citizenship to wanted nationals from the four countries and revoke citizenship for existing nationals from those countries where it violates their laws. In addition, Qatar must pay an unspecified sum in reparations. It has been given 10 days to comply with all of the demands.

Underscoring the growing seriousness of the crisis, state-run Qatar Petroleum acknowledged early Friday that some critically important employees "may have been asked to postpone" trips abroad "for operational reasons" as a result of the embargo.

It described the move as "a very limited measure that could take place in any oil and gas operating company" to ensure uninterrupted energy supplies to customers.

Under Qatari law, foreigners working in the country must secure their employer's consent to receive an exit permit allowing them to leave. The practice, which has been in place for years, has been assailed by rights groups who say it limits workers' freedom of movement and leaves them open to abuse.

Qatari officials in Doha did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the AP. But the list included conditions that the gas-rich nation had already insisted would never be met, including shutting down Al-Jazeera. The network also had no immediate comment.

"At the moment, there is no likelihood of bringing the matter back to the table," said Isik, the Turkish defense minister.

Qatar's neighbors are also demanding that it hand over all individuals who are wanted by those four countries for terrorism; stop funding any extremist entities that are designated as terrorist groups by the U.S.; and provide detailed information about opposition figures that Qatar has funded, ostensibly in Saudi Arabia and the other nations.

Qatar's neighbors have also accused it of backing al-Qaida and the Islamic State group's ideology throughout the Middle East. Those umbrella groups also appear on the list of entities whose ties with Qatar must be extinguished, along with Lebanon's Hezbollah and the al-Qaida branch in Syria, once known as the Nusra Front.

More broadly, the list demands that Qatar align itself politically, economically and otherwise with the Gulf Cooperation Council, a regional club that has focused on countering the influence of Iran. Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-led nations have accused Qatar of inappropriately close ties to Iran, a Shiite-led country and Saudi Arabia's regional foe.

The Iran provisions in the document say Qatar must shut down diplomatic posts in Iran, kick out from Qatar any members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard, and only conduct trade and commerce with Iran that complies with U.S. and international sanctions. Under the 2015 nuclear deal, nuclear-related sanctions on Iran were eased but other sanctions remain in place.

The Revolutionary Guard has deployed its forces to conflict zones such as Syria and Iraq. It is not known to have a presence in Qatar.

Cutting ties to Iran would prove incredibly difficult. Qatar shares a massive offshore natural gas field with Iran which supplies the small nation that will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup its wealth.

Also, not only must Qatar shut down the Doha-based satellite broadcaster, the list says, but also all of its affiliates. That presumably would mean Qatar would have to close down Al-Jazeera's English-language sister network.

Supported by Qatar's government, Al-Jazeera is one of the most widely watched Arabic channels, but it has long drawn the ire of Mideast governments for airing alternative viewpoints. The network's critics say it advances Qatar's goals by promoting Islamist movements like the Muslim Brotherhood that pose a populist threat to rulers in other Arab countries.

The list also demands that Qatar stop funding a host of other news outlets including Arabi21, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed and Middle East Eye.

Beirut-based political analyst George Alam said Qatar is unlikely to agree to the demands.

"They are impossible to be met because they interfere in Qatar's foreign policy and Qatar considers its foreign policy a sovereign matter that is nonnegotiable, he said.

If Qatar agrees to comply, the list asserts that it will be audited once a month for the first year, and then once per quarter in the second year after it takes effect. For the following 10 years, Qatar would be monitored annually for compliance. </s> The Bahraini news agency published the list of demands which Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt handed over to Qatar via Kuwait.



According to BNA, Qatar was requested to decrease diplomatic representation with Iran and curb ties with it, expel revolutionary guards from Qatar, limit relations with Iran to commercial trade without violating the sanctions imposed on Iran and without violating the security of Gulf Cooperation Council countries and sever any military or intelligence cooperation with Tehran.



The demands also called on Qatar to immediately shut down the Turkish military base which is being built in Qatar and to suspend any military cooperation with Turkey inside Qatar.



They also include severing all relations with terrorist, sectarian and ideological organizations, primarily those which threaten Bahrain, and other organizations such as the Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS, al-Qaeda, Fatah al-Sham, formerly known as Al-Nusra Front, and the Lebanese Hezbollah Party and listing them as terrorist entities and including them as terrorist organizations in any future lists.



Qatar was also demanded to suspend all forms of funding to terrorist or extremist individuals, entities or organizations and to all those included in the Saudi, Emirati, Bahraini and Egyptian terror lists and in the American and international lists and to surrender all figures designated as terrorist by these lists while holding their property until they’re handed over.



They also demanded Qatar not to host any of these designated terrorists in the future and to commit to providing information about them, such as information on their activity, residence and finances. This is in addition to demands to shut down Al-Jazeera television channels and all channels affiliated with it.



Qatar was also ordered to stop interfering in other countries’ internal affairs and foreign interests and refrain from granting the Qatari nationality to any Saudi, Bahraini, Egyptian and Emirati citizenship and extradite all those who had been granted a Qatari nationality via procedure which does not comply with these four countries’ regulations.



They also demanded Qatar to submit a list of those who have been granted a citizenship from these four countries and to submit all previous information about cooperation between Qatar and those naturalized.



The demands also include submitting all data about the opposition figures that Qatar supported and shutting down all media outlets which Qatar directly or indirectly supports.



The four countries called on Qatar to be in harmony with its Arab and Gulf surrounding on the military, political, economic, social and security levels in order to guarantee security and to activate the Riyadh 2013 agreement and the Riyadh 2014 agreement.



According to BNA, these demands are somehow similar to the Riyadh agreement which Qatar signed in 2014. Its report concluded that Doha thus has no justifications to reject these demands.



Last Update: Sunday, 25 June 2017 KSA 10:07 - GMT 07:07 </s> ISTANBUL, June 25 (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday dismissed calls for Turkey to close a military base in Qatar and said a wider list of demands issued by four Arab states was an unlawful intervention against the Gulf emirate's sovereignty.

In his strongest statement of support for Qatar in the nearly three-week-old crisis centred on the Gulf state, Erdogan said the call to withdraw Turkish forces was disrespectful and that Doha - which described the demands as unreasonable - was taking the right approach.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain imposed a boycott on June 5 on Qatar and issued 13 demands including closing Al Jazeera television, curbing relations with Iran, shutting the Turkish base and paying reparations.

Doha said it was reviewing the list, but said it was not reasonable or actionable.

"We approve and appreciate the attitude of Qatar against the list of 13 demands," Erdogan, speaking outside a mosque in Istanbul, said. "...This approach of 13 demands is against international law because you cannot attack or intervene in the sovereignty of a country."

The demands are apparently aimed at dismantling Qatar's interventionist foreign policy which has incensed conservative Arab peers over its alleged support for Islamists they regard as threats to their dynastic rule.

Both Qatar and Turkey, whose ruling AK Party has its roots in Islamist politics, backed a Muslim Brotherhood government in Egypt before it was overthrown in 2013. The Arab states have demanded Qatar cut any links to the Brotherhood and other groups they deem to be terrorist, ideological or sectarian.

Bahrain's state news agency on Sunday confirmed the demands set out by un-named Gulf officials on Friday, including that Qatar close the Turkish base, end military cooperation with Ankara inside Qatar and stop supporting militant groups.

"The demands aim to achieve regional countries' stability, stand firmly against foreign interference and stop support for terrorist organisations," it said.

Turkey, the most powerful regional country to stand by Qatar, has sent 100 cargo planes with supplies since its neighbours cut air and sea links. It has also rushed through legislation to send more troops to its base in Doha.

Two contingents of Turkish troops with columns of armoured vehicles have arrived since the crisis erupted on June 5, and Defence Minister Fikri Isik said on Friday that further reinforcements would be beneficial.

"The strengthening of the Turkish base would be a positive step in terms of the Gulf's security," he said. "Re-evaluating the base agreement with Qatar is not on our agenda."

Hurriyet newspaper said last week a joint exercise by Turkish and Qatari forces was expected following the Islamic Eid al-Fitr holiday which started on Sunday, and the number of Turkish soldiers sent to the Gulf state could eventually reach 1,000. An air force contingent was also envisaged, it said.

Erdogan said Turkey had also offered to establish a military base in Saudi Arabia, but never received a clear answer.

"If Saudi Arabia wants us to have base there, a step towards this also can be taken," he told reporters. "I made this offer to the king himself and they said they will consider this."

"They did not come back to us since that day and even though they still didn't come back to us on this, asking Turkey to pull back its troops (from Qatar) is disrespectful against Turkey".

Speaking outside the Istanbul mosque after prayers marking the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday, Erdogan said he would continue his planned programme despite feeling briefly unwell.

"I had a little condition about my blood pressure, related to my diabetes," he said. (Additional reporting by Mohammed el Sherif in Cairo; Writing by Dominic Evans; Editing by Robert Birsel and Jane Merriman) </s> ISTANBUL (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday dismissed calls for Turkey to close a military base in Qatar and said a wider list of demands issued by four Arab states was an unlawful intervention against the Gulf state’s sovereignty.

In his strongest statement of support for Qatar in the nearly three-week-old crisis centered on the Gulf state, Erdogan said the call to withdraw Turkish forces was disrespectful and that Doha - which described the demands as unreasonable - was taking the right approach.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain imposed a boycott on June 5 on Qatar and issued 13 demands including closing Al Jazeera television, curbing relations with Iran, shutting the Turkish base and paying reparations.

Doha said it was reviewing the list, but said it was not reasonable or actionable.

“We approve and appreciate the attitude of Qatar against the list of 13 demands,” Erdogan, speaking outside a mosque in Istanbul, said. “...This approach of 13 demands is against international law because you cannot attack or intervene in the sovereignty of a country.”

Bahrain’s foreign minister said on Sunday that outside interference would not solve the problem.

“It is in the interest of these powers to respect the existing regional order which is capable of solving any issue that may arise,” Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa said in a message on Twitter, without naming Turkey.

The 13 demands are apparently aimed at dismantling Qatar’s interventionist foreign policy which has incensed conservative Arab peers over its alleged support for Islamists they regard as threats to their dynastic rule.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan talks to media after the Eid al-Fitr prayers in Istanbul, Turkey, June 25, 2017. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

Qatar along with Turkey, whose ruling AK Party has its roots in Islamist politics, backed a Muslim Brotherhood government in Egypt before it was overthrown in 2013. The Arab states have demanded Qatar cut any links to the Brotherhood and other groups they deem to be terrorist, ideological or sectarian.

“NO PULLOUT”

Turkey, the most powerful regional country to stand by Qatar, has sent 100 cargo planes with supplies since its neighbors cut air and sea links. It has also rushed through legislation to send more troops to its base in Doha.

Two contingents of Turkish troops with columns of armored vehicles have arrived since the crisis erupted on June 5, and Defence Minister Fikri Isik said on Friday that further reinforcements would be beneficial.

“The strengthening of the Turkish base would be a positive step in terms of the Gulf’s security,” he said. “Re-evaluating the base agreement with Qatar is not on our agenda.”

Hurriyet newspaper said last week a joint exercise by Turkish and Qatari forces was expected following the Islamic Eid al-Fitr holiday which started on Sunday, and the number of Turkish soldiers sent to the Gulf state could eventually reach 1,000. An air force contingent was also envisaged, it said.

Erdogan said Turkey had also offered to establish a military base in Saudi Arabia, but never received a clear answer.

“If Saudi Arabia wants us to have base there, a step towards this also can be taken,” he told reporters. “I made this offer to the king himself and they said they will consider this.”

Slideshow (7 Images)

“They did not come back to us since that day and even though they still didn’t come back to us on this, asking Turkey to pull back its troops (from Qatar) is disrespectful against Turkey.”

Speaking outside the Istanbul mosque after prayers marking the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday, Erdogan said he would continue his planned program despite feeling briefly unwell.

“I had a little condition about my blood pressure, related to my diabetes,” he said. </s> Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday denounced the list of demands put forward by four Arab states in efforts to defuse the diplomatic crisis with Qatar, rejecting their request to close its military base in Qatar. “We consider these demands are against international law,” Erdogan was quoted as saying in Istanbul by the state-run Anadolu Agency. Among the 13-demand charter put forth lately by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, Qatar is asked to reduce its ties with Iran, stop funding those blacklisted as terrorists, and immediately terminate the construction of a Turkish military base and stop any military cooperation with Turkey on its land. “Should we get permission when we make a defence cooperation agreement with any country?” Erdogan demanded. “No offence, but Turkey is not such an ordinary country.” Turkey sent 23 more troops and five armoured vehicles to its military base in Qatar last week as a sign of support for the country. On June 5, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain cut off diplomatic ties and imposed a blockade on Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism and undermining regional security. A number of other Muslim countries followed suit in the following days. </s> ISTANBUL: Turkey's president on Sunday rejected a demand by major Arab states to remove Turkish troops from Qatar , among a sweeping list of ultimatums that the United States has described as "difficult to meet.''Speaking after Eid al-Fitr prayers in Istanbul, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the demand to pull the Turkish troops "disrespectful'' and said his country would not seek permission from others when making its defense cooperation agreements."Demanding that Turkey pull its soldiers is unfortunately also disrespectful toward Turkey,'' he said.He said Turkey would continue to support Qatar against the many sanctions it has faced since several Arab countries moved earlier this month to isolate the country for its alleged support of terrorism . Turkey shipped suppliers and food via cargo planes to Qatar after its neighbors closed down air, land and sea routes.The United States said the demands on Qatar by its Mideast neighbors ``will be very difficult to meet.'' But the U.S. isn't rejecting the demands outright.Secretary of State Rex Tillerson added in a statement Sunday, however, that the list of demands from Saudi Arabia , Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates includes major areas that ``provide a basis for ongoing dialogue leading to a resolution.''He called on the Arab countries to ``sit together'' with Qatar to work through what he hoped would be ``reasonable and actionable'' demands.In a sign of support, the Turkish parliament swiftly ratified a 2014 military agreement with Qatar earlier this month, allowing the deployment of troops to its base there. The military said a contingent of 23 soldiers reached Doha on Thursday. Turkey has also shipped supplies and food via cargo planes afterErdogan said he made a similar offer to Saudi Arabia to set up a base there in the past but did not hear back from the king.A Turkish foreign ministry statement Sunday reiterated that the deployment of Turkish troops in Qatar contributed to regional security and was not aimed at a specific country."Just like the presence of other foreign military bases or units in other countries of the region, our military presence in Qatar is principally based on a decision taken by the two countries relying on their sovereign rights,'' ministry spokesman Huseyin Muftuoglu said.Doha received a 13-point list from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain that included demands to shut down the media network Al-Jazeera and cut ties with Islamist groups including the Muslim Brotherhood. The energy-rich country said it was reviewing the ultimatum but added it would not negotiate under siege.Turkey's president said his country "admires and embraces'' Qatar's attitude, while slamming the demands by arguing they contradict international law."Here we see an attack against a state's sovereignty rights,'' Erdogan said.Erdogan called the demand that Qatar shut down Al-Jazeera an attempt to take away the network's press freedom and urged rights groups to speak out against that.Erdogan spoke to journalists after experiencing a diabetes-related blood pressure problem during prayers marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan </s> The Abu Samrah border crossing with Saudi Arabia has been quiet since Qatar's neighbours cut ties as part of a major diplomatic row (AFP Photo/KARIM JAAFAR)

Doha (AFP) - Qatar on Saturday confirmed it had received a 13-point list of demands from Saudi-led allies in a major escalation of the ongoing diplomatic crisis in the Gulf.

The list -- which apparently includes a call for Qatar to close down broadcaster Al-Jazeera -- are the demands that Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt want met to end a diplomatic and trade "blockade" of Qatar, lasting almost three weeks.

Doha has been told that it faces "divorce" from its Gulf neighbours unless it takes their demands seriously.

As the crisis deepened and the United Nations offered to help resolve the regional diplomatic row, Qatar said it had received the list of demands from its neighbouring countries.

"Qatar announced its receipt of a paper, on June 22, containing demands from the seige countries and Egypt," read a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, published in the early hours of Saturday morning local time.

"The State of Qatar is currently studying this paper, the demands contained therein and the foundations on which they were based, in order to prepare an appropriate response."

As well as the closure of Al-Jazeera, a long-standing source of conflict between Doha and neighbouring countries which accuse it of fomenting regional strife, the wide-reaching list makes other demands on Qatar.

These include calls for Doha to cut any ties to groups including the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic State organisation, Al-Qaeda and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.

Qatar has also been asked to hand over opposition figures wanted by its three neighbours and Egypt, downgrade diplomatic ties with Iran and shut a Turkish military base in the emirate.

Al-Jazeera has denounced the move as an attack on media freedom.

However, Anwar Gargash, the UAE's state minister for foreign affairs, who is due to hold a press conference on Saturday, said Qatar should cede to the demands.

"It would be wiser that (Qatar) deal seriously with the demands and concerns of the neighbours or a divorce will take place," he wrote on Twitter.​

The demands confirm that "the crisis is profound," Gargash added.

The list of demands was given to Qatar by Kuwait, which is acting as a mediator in the dispute, the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the region in years.

A statement from Kuwait's state-run KUNA agency said Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah had also held calls with the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE on Friday as the diplomatic push continued.

Qatar is the world's leading exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and hosts the biggest American airbase in the Middle East.

Gargash accused Qatar of leaking the document containing the demands by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, which cut diplomatic ties and accused Qatar of sponsoring terrorism.

Al-Jazeera, one of the largest news organisations in the world, said that it "deplores" calls for it to be taken off air.

"We in the network believe that any call for closing down Al-Jazeera is nothing but an attempt to silence the freedom of expression in the region and to suppress people's right to information," the broadcaster said in a statement.

Al-Jazeera English's managing director, Giles Trendle, said it was like "Germany demanding Britain to close down the BBC", in a video posted on social media.

Qatar is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council with Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

On June 5, Saudi Arabia and the UAE led a severing of all links with Qatar for allegedly supporting groups, including some backed by Iran, "that aim to destabilise the region".

Other allies, including Egypt and Bahrain, followed.

Saudi Arabia regularly accuses Iran, its regional rival, of interference throughout the Middle East.

A statement from Qatar's government communication's office early on Saturday, said the existence of the list "confirmed" Qatar's fears the dispite was about limiting its sovereignty and "outsourcing our foreign policy".

As well as cutting diplomatic ties, Qatar's neighbours closed their air space to Qatari carriers and blocked the emirate's only land border, vital for its food imports.

Qatar's Human Rights Committee said the demands represented "gross violations" of basic rights.

In Qatar, the hashtag "the list is rejected" trended in Arabic on social media. Gargash though said: "The brother (Qatar) must realise that the solution for its crisis lies not in Tehran or Beirut or Ankara or Western capitals or in media outlets, but in regaining the trust of its neighbours," he said. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Wednesday that Washington had been pushing for a clear list of grievances that are "reasonable and actionable". "Our role has been to encourage the parties to get their issues on the table, clearly articulated, so that those issues can be addressed and some resolution process can get underway to bring this to a conclusion," he said. His spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Tuesday the United States was "mystified" that Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies had failed to present details justifying their embargo on Qatar. US President Donald Trump, however, has made statements siding with Saudi Arabia in the crisis. </s> DUBAI/DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar faces possible further sanctions by Arab states that have severed ties with Doha over allegations of links to terrorism, as a deadline to accept their demands is expected to expire on Sunday night.

 Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said the demands were made to be rejected, adding that the Arab ultimatum was aimed not at tackling terrorism but at curtailing his country's sovereignty.

 State news agency QNA reported that he would inform the ruler of Kuwait, a neutral Gulf Arab country seeking to mediate in the spat, of Qatar's response on Monday.

 Sheikh Mohammed earlier told reporters in Rome that Doha remained ready to discuss the grievances of its Arab neighbors.

 "This list of demands is made to be rejected. It's not meant to be accepted or ... to be negotiated," Sheikh Mohammed said.

 "The state of Qatar instead of rejecting it as a principle, we are willing to engage in (dialogue), providing the proper conditions for further dialogue." 

 He added that no one had the right to issue an ultimatum to a sovereign country. 

 The feud erupted last month when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and travel ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism and being an ally of regional foe Iran, charges that Doha denies.

 The countries have threatened further sanctions against Qatar if it does not comply with their list of 13 demands presented to Doha through Kuwait 10 days ago.

 The demands include closing a Turkish military base in Qatar and shutting the Al Jazeera pan-Arab television network, which Doha also rejected. 

 Foreign ministers from the four countries will meet in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss Qatar, Egypt said on Sunday.

 "At the invitation of Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, there will be a quartet meeting of the foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in Cairo on Wednesday July 5 to follow up on the developing situation regarding relations with Qatar," Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement.

 A State Department official said on Sunday that the United States encourages "all parties to exercise restraint to allow for productive diplomatic discussions. We are not going to get ahead of those discussions. We fully support Kuwaiti mediation." 

 Qatar's Gulf critics accuse Al Jazeera of being a platform for extremists and an agent of interference in their affairs. The network has rejected the accusations and said it will maintain its editorial independence.

 

 FRESH PENALTIES

 Gulf countries have insisted the demands were non- negotiable.

 The UAE ambassador to Russia has said that Qatar could face fresh sanctions if it does not comply with the demands. 

 Gulf states could ask their trading partners to choose between working with them or with Doha, he said in a newspaper interview last week.

 They have not specified what further sanctions they could impose on Doha, but commercial bankers in the region believe that Saudi, Emirati and Bahraini banks might receive official guidance to pull deposits and interbank loans from Qatar. 

 A more serious sanction would be to ban investors from holding Qatari assets, but authorities have given no sign of doing this.

 Qatar's stock market fell sharply on Sunday. The Qatari stock index <.QSI> sank as much as 3.1 percent in thin trade, bringing its losses to 11.9 percent since June 5, when Saudi and the other countries cut diplomatic and trade ties.

 The UAE's minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, played down the chances of an escalation, saying "the alternative is not escalation but parting ways", suggesting Qatar may be forced out of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

 The Western-backed body was formed in 1981 in the wake of Iran's Islamic Revolution and the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war, by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.

 Speaking in Washington last week, the Qatari foreign minister said the GCC was set up to guard against external threats. 

 "When the threat is coming from inside the GCC, there is a suspicion about the sustainability of the organization," Sheikh Mohammed told reporters.

 

 "DAVID AND GOLIATH"

 Qataris appeared defiant on Sunday, with newspapers decrying a "siege" and sharing on social media a cartoon of David and Goliath to illustrate Qatar's struggle with its larger neighbors.

 A Qatari artist whose portrait of Qatar's emir has been draped from skyscrapers and affixed to car windows across the capital signed T-shirts for Qataris at a museum on Saturday.

 "As you see, the photo is now all over, it's a sign of loyalty to the emir and love for the country," he said. 

 Saudi Arabia's permanent representative to the United Nations, Abdullah bin Yahiya al-Moallemi, said on Twitter that Qatar had failed to take opportunities offered by its neighbors in the past to stop supporting terrorism.

 "Qatar had insisted on shaking the security of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and interfering in the affairs of countries in the region," Moallemi said.

 The crisis has hit travel, food imports and ratcheted up tensions in the Gulf and sown confusion among businesses, while pushing Qatar closer to Iran and Turkey.

 But it has not hit energy exports from Qatar, the world's biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas and home to the region's biggest U.S. military base.

 The rift opened days after U.S. President Donald Trump met Arab leaders in Riyadh and called for unity against regional threats such as Iran and hardline Islamist militant groups.

 

 (Reporting by Sylvia Westall, Tom Finn, Rania El Gamal, Philip Pullella and Yeganeh Torbati; Additional reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein in Cairo; Editing by Leslie Adler and Sandra Maler)
The Bahrain News Agency publishes an official list of the demands from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt towards Qatar. Turkey says the demands on Qatar are unlawful.