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Qatar: Saudi Demands Unacceptable

Qatar: Saudi Demands Unacceptable
Qatar: Saudi Demands Unacceptable

Qatar has rejected a list of demands submitted by four Arab countries that have cut ties with it as unacceptable, saying that Doha agrees with the United States that they should push for a "rational" solution to a major Middle East crisis.

The comments on Tuesday by Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar's foreign minister, came after a meeting with his US counterpart, Rex Tillerson, in Washington, DC, Aljazeera reported.

Earlier on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said that there will be no negotiations over his country's demand that Qatar stops supporting "terrorism"-an allegation Doha denies.

"What has been presented by the countries of the blockade are merely claims that are not proved by evidence and are not demands," said Al Thani.

"Negotiations require a real will by the other party and evidence to support its demands." The Qatari minister added that the demands must be realistic and enforceable. 

"Anything else is rejected ... We agree with Washington that the demands should be rational," he said. The US, which urges a diplomatic solution to the crisis, has been pushing for a list of grievances that are "reasonable and actionable".

Heather Nauert, the State Department spokesperson, told reporters that "some of [the demands] will be difficult for Qatar to incorporate and to try to adhere to". Commenting on the list of demands, Tillerson on Sunday said some of the demands "will be very difficult for Qatar to meet".

Nevertheless, he added that the list includes "significant areas which provide a basis for ongoing dialogue leading to a resolution".

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has denounced the demands as being "against international law", while Sigmar Gabriel, Germany's foreign minister, has called them "very provocative".

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