Saudi Arabia will not negotiate over the demands made by the Kingdom and other Arab nations for Qatar to stop supporting terrorism, Reuters reported, citing Saudi foreign minister Adel Al-Jubeir.
“We made our point, we took our steps and it's up to the Qataris to amend their behavior and once they do things will be worked out but if they don't they will remain isolated,” Jubeir said.
If Qatar wants to restore ties with fellow GCC members, "they know what they have to do," he added.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt severed ties early this month with Qatar, accusing the Gulf state of supporting terrorism. The nations cut land, sea, and air links with Qatar and expelled the gas-rich state from a Saudi-led coalition currently fighting in Yemen.
The Kingdom and its allies issued a 13-point ultimatum to Qatar on Friday, delivered by Kuwait, which is helping mediate the crisis.
The list included demands to shut down the Al Jazeera network, curb diplomatic ties with Iran, and end Turkey’s military presence in Qatar. Doha was given 10 days to comply.
Qatar, meanwhile, has called the demands and allegations against it baseless and unacceptable, according to reports.
Last week, the US State Department questioned the motives behind the Gulf states’ decision to cut ties with Doha, saying it was “mystified” that they had not yet issued a detailed statement on their differences with Qatar.
As time goes by “the more doubt is raised about the actions taken by Saudi Arabia and the UAE,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.
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