Arab anti-terror quartet extends Qatar boycott as Doha rejects demands

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (L), Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa (2nd-L), Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir (2nd-R), and UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (R) meet in the Egyptian capital Cairo on July 5, 2017, to discuss the Gulf diplomatic crisis with Qata. (AFP)
CAIRO: Four Arab states calling for combating terrorism vowed Wednesday to maintain their boycott of Qatar, criticizing its 鈥渘egative鈥� response to their list of demands to end the diplomatic crisis.
Doha鈥檚 response, they said, was 鈥渘ot serious鈥� and betrayed Qatar鈥檚 鈥渇ailure鈥� to realize the gravity of the situation.
The announcement followed a meeting by foreign ministers from the four nations 鈥� 黑料社区, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain 鈥� in Cairo, shortly after they said they had received Doha鈥檚 reply. 
 鈥淭he political and economic boycott will remain until Qatar changes its policies for the better," Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said. 
Egypt鈥檚 Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told reporters Qatar鈥檚 response to the Arab states鈥� 13-point list of demands was 鈥渘egative on the whole.鈥� It did not 鈥渓ay the foundations for Qatar鈥檚 abandonment of the policies it pursues. It鈥檚 a position that does not realize the gravity of the situation,鈥� he added.
The ministers did not say what their next steps would be 鈥� that, they explained, would be announced after further consultations. They will meet next in Bahrain, but a date has yet to be set.
鈥淲e hope wisdom will prevail and Qatar will eventually make the right decisions,鈥� added Shoukry, who said the four nations were acting against Qatar within the boundaries of international law as well as the interest to safeguard regional and international security.
Shoukry said Qatar鈥檚 policies could not be allowed to continue and vowed that Egyptian blood would not be shed in vain, a reference to deadly attacks by militants on Egyptian army and security forces. 
UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan said Qatar was only interested in 鈥渄estruction, incitement, extremism and terrorism,鈥� rather than in good neighborly relations.
He added:  鈥淭o defeat terrorism, we must confront extremism, we must confront hate speech, we must confront the harboring and sheltering of extremists and terrorists, and funding them鈥� Unfortunately, we in this region see that our sister nation of Qatar has allowed and harbored and encouraged all of this.鈥�
鈥淭oday鈥檚 meeting on Qatar was for coordination purposes and we will take full studied decisions later,鈥� said Bahrain鈥檚 foreign minister, Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has sent UN political chief Jeffrey Feltman to the Gulf to discuss how the UN might work with regional partners to resolve the crisis.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters that Feltman has already been to the UAE and was in Kuwait, which is trying to mediate the conflict.
Dujarric says Feltman will be traveling to Doha.
US President Donald Trump, on Wednesday, discussed the Qatari crisis with Egypt鈥檚 President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in a call. The US president called on all sides to negotiate constructively and reiterated the need for all countries to follow thorough on their commitments at the Riyadh Summit to stop terrorist financing and discrediting extremist ideology.