World

Qatar hands response to Saudi-led demands to Kuwait

Demands by Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt "were made to be rejected", said the foreign minister

Afp July 03, 2017

A handout picture released by the Emiri Diwan in Kuwait on July 3, 2017, shows Kuwaiti Foreign Minister, Sheikh Sabah al-Khaled al-Sabah (R), shaking hands with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, at Kuwait International Airport in Kuwait City. PHOTO: AFP

KUWAIT CITY: Qatar on Monday handed its official response to a list of demands by Saudi Arabia and its allies to the emir of Kuwait, a Gulf official told AFP.

The response was delivered by Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani who made a short visit to Kuwait, which is acting as a mediator to resolve the diplomatic rift, the Gulf official said, requesting anonymity.

Qatar defiant as Saudi extends deadline to resolve Gulf rift

The official KUNA news agency reported that Sheikh Mohammed arrived in Kuwait earlier in the day to deliver a message from Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

No details were provided about the Qatari response but the foreign minister said on Saturday that the demands by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt "were made to be rejected."

Qatar says Arab states' demands ‘made to be rejected’

The Qatari response was delivered hours after the four nations accepted a call by Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah to extend the 10-day deadline for another 48 hours.

The demands include Doha ending support for the Muslim Brotherhood, closing broadcaster Al-Jazeera, downgrading diplomatic ties with Iran and shutting down a Turkish military base in the emirate.