Qatar must comply with the four Arab countries’ demands, Egypt’s FM tells US envoy

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told Thursday evening US special envoys on the Qatar dispute Anthony Zinni and Tim Timothy Lenderking in a meeting in Cairo that Doha must end its support to terrorist organisations as a condition to end the dispute with its Arab neighbours.

Shoukry told Zinni that the diplomatic crisis with Qatar would end if the Doha complies with the demands presented by the four Arab countries which cut ties with Doha in early June, including ending its support to terrorism, the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement.

On 5 June, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE cut diplomatic diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed a commercial embargo on Doha, accusing Qatar of backing terrorist groups and interfering in the internal affairs of neighbouring countries.

Doha denies these accusations.

The four Arab countries later issued a list of 13 demands for Qatar to meet before resuming relations, which included an end to Doha’s funding of terror groups in the region and extradition by Doha of dozens of their nationals who are accused in terror related cases.

The four countries have demonstrated seriousness in resolving the dispute and Qatar must now do the same and meet the demands which are in accordance to international law, Shoukry told the US envoys.

Zinni and Lenderking had arrived in Cairo on Thursday evening after short visits to Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and the UAE to discuss ways to resolve the Qatar dispute with officials in those countries.

Earlier this week, Zinni and Lenderking were sent to the region by US President Donald Trump to hold discussions with officials in various Arab Gulf countries and Egypt to resolve the ongoing dispute.

Kuwait has been mediating between Qatar and the four Arab countries in an attempt to broker a settlement.

Zinni said that the US supports the Kuwaiti mediation efforts and is hoping for a resolution of the crisis in the near future, the foreign ministry statement read.

The US and a number of European countries have also been trying to negotiate a resolution to end the dispute.

Source: Ahram Online