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Saudi Arabia: No Negotiations with Qatar over Demands | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir attends a news conference after a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 26, 2017. (Reuters)


Washington – Saudi Foreign Affairs Minister Adel al-Jubeir ruled out any possibility to hold negotiations with Qatar over the list of 13 demands submitted by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain.

During a news conference held in Washington on Tuesday, Jubeir said: “We have made our point, we took our steps and it’s up to the Qataris to amend their behavior. If they don’t, they will remain isolated”.

The foreign minister stressed that it was up to Doha to stop supporting terrorism and extremism.

The demands included cutting all ties between Qatar and “ideological and confessional terrorist organizations”, in particular the Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS, al-Qaeda, Fatah al-Sham (previously known as Al-Nusra Front) and the Lebanese “Hezbollah” group.

Jubeir’s statements came in parallel with diplomatic efforts led by Qatar and Iran in an attempt to ease pressure on Doha.

In this regard, Qatari Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met on Tuesday in Washington with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

The meeting followed earlier remarks by Tillerson on the need for the four Arab states and Qatar to sit down together and resume talks on the means to resolve the crisis.

Meanwhile, Kuwaiti State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Mohammed al-Abdullah is leading mediation efforts in Washington, in order to boost the Kuwaiti initiative aimed at reconciling viewpoints and easing tensions.

In the same context, Germany’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sigmar Gabriel urged on Tuesday all sides to engage in direct dialogue to prevent escalation of the crisis.

Following talks in Berlin with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Gabriel told reporters: “Now is the time to not inflame the conflict further and to talk with one another.”

He also suggested that Kuwait’s emir should moderate between the two sides.