DOHA: Qatar said the demands of Arab rivals in a Gulf diplomatic crisis were impossible to meet, ahead of talks in Egypt between Saudi Arabia and allies that have cut ties with Doha.
Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told a press conference in Doha that the list of conditions for restoring relations “is unrealistic and is not actionable”.
“It’s not about terrorism, it’s talking about shutting down the freedom of speech,” he said at a joint press conference after talks with his German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt — who accuse Qatar of supporting extremism — gave Doha an extra 48 hours to meet their demands after an initial 10-day deadline expired on Sunday.
The demands included 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.
Sheikh Mohammed handed an official response on Monday to Kuwait, which is mediating in the dispute, but its contents have not been disclosed.
He refused Tuesday to give any further details, but said Doha was looking for a solution to the month-long crisis based on dialogue.
“The state of Qatar has adopted a very constructive attitude since the beginning of the crisis. We are trying to act mature and discuss the matter,” he said.
On Tuesday Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani received a written response from Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, the official Qatar News Agency reported, without elaborating.
The four countries cut diplomatic and transport links with Qatar a month ago and have suggested further sanctions could be imposed if Doha does not comply.
Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt are to meet in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the diplomatic crisis, the worst to hit the region in years.
Qatar, which denies any support for extremists, has said it will not bow to pressure and that the demands seem designed to be rejected.
The UAE has accused Doha of supporting Al-Qaeda-linked groups in Syria, Libya and Yemen.
On Tuesday a spokesman for the forces of Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar, Ahmad al-Mesmari, speaking at a press conference in Cairo, accused Qatar along with Turkey and Sudan of supporting “terrorist groups” in Libya.
Qatar is the world’s leading producer of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and on Tuesday the head of state-owned Qatar Petroleum said it was planning a significant production increase over the coming years.
Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi told a press conference that the emirate intends to produce 100 million tonnes of natural gas a year by 2024, up 30 percent from current levels.
“This new project will strengthen Qatar’s leading position,” Kaabi said. “We will remain the leader of LNG for a very long time.”