Germany says the demands made by four Arab states in a dispute with Qatar are “very provocative.”
Germany: Demands from Qatar ‘very provocative’
27 Jun 2017 - 14:05
Germany says the demands made by four Arab states in a dispute with Qatar are “very provocative.”
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates severed diplomatic ties and cut all land, sea, and air contacts with Qatar on June 5. The four countries accused Qatar of supporting terrorism and destabilizing the region, allegations denied by Doha.
The Saudi-led bloc of states later issued a list of demands for Qatar to meet in return for a normalization of ties. Among them was that Qatar sever ties with Iran.
Speaking alongside Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at a forum in Berlin on Monday, German Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel called the demands “very provocative” and said that some of the items on the list challenged Doha’s sovereignty.
Qatar was also asked to close down Al Jazeera, a media network that has reportedly been critical specially of the absolute monarchy in Saudi Arabia, shut a Turkish military base, and pay up “compensation” for “damages” from purported terror sponsorship.
The four countries also gave Doha ten days — starting Friday — to meet those demands.
Qatar says its neighbors have attempted to punish it merely for its refusal to toe their line on matters of foreign policy. Doha has also denounced the ultimatum as unreasonable and an infringement of its sovereignty.
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