Doha will reject Arab demands ‘but ready for dialogue’

Qatar will reject a series of demands made by several other Arab states, its Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said on Saturday, adding that the ultimatum was aimed not at tackling terrorism but at curtailing his country’s sovereignty.
Speaking to reporters in Rome, Sheikh Mohammed said Doha remained ready to sit down and discuss the grievances raised by its Arab neighbors. The comments came ahead of a deadline set by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt for Doha to accept 13 demands.
“This list of demands is to be rejected, not to be accepted. We are willing to engage in dialogue but under proper conditions,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
Arab states have said the demands are not negotiable and warned that further unspecified measures will follow if Qatar does not comply.
Sheikh Mohammed said Qatar would not close down the Turkish base in his country, nor shut Al Jazeera as demanded by the Arab countries.
The demands of the ultimatum on Qatar also included severing ties with terrorist groups and downgrading ties with Iran.
Sheikh Mohammed spoke after arriving in Rome from the US. Washington is helping Kuwait, which has retained ties with Qatar, to mediate the dispute.
Salman Al-Ansari, founder and president of the Washington DC-based Saudi American Public Relation Affairs Committee (SAPRAC), said that there would likely be “severe consequences” if Qatar did not accept the demands made by its Arab neighbors.
Doha’s refusal to do so “was expected as this is the duality of the Qatari government and it’s something that is deeply rooted in the philosophical fabric of the Qatari government, (which) has been funding and supporting groups for over 20 years, so it would be very hard on them to ... suspend their activities within such a short period,” Al-Ansari told Arab News on Saturday.
Further measures against Qatar are possible, he added.
“Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt in addition to a large number of Arab and Muslim nations would take some crucial measures (that) may be in the form of a new sanctions package that will be put against the Qatari government,” said Al-Ansari, who is also a political analyst and writer.
“There is no other option for the Qatari government but to completely abide by the 13 demands conditioned by the four nations to sort out the dispute. There are many cards the neighboring countries still have and (are) yet to use against Qatar, should the latter continue to be stubborn in refusing to rationally deal with the crisis.”
Al-Ansari expects that the near future will bring more messages not only to the Qatari government but also to the groups that are supported by the Qatari and the Iranian regimes.
“Should the Qatari government continue to reject abiding by the demands, (it) would bring severe consequences. They should expect more political isolation as well as more devastating economic situations. Let alone the domestic and public pressure, which will blow (up) in the face of the Qatari government as a result of the divisions their stubbornness has created within the Qatari society, which might lead to a popular uprising to isolate the Al-Thani regime.”

Source: Arab News