Cairo has long accused Qatar of supporting extremists and providing refuge and financial backing for the Muslim Brotherhood.
Four Arab nations seeking to isolate
Qatar over its alleged support for extremist groups were angered
Wednesday by what they said was a "negative" response by the tiny Gulf
nation to their demands for ending the crisis roiling the region.
Doha's response, they said, was "not serious" and betrayed Qatar's "failure" to realize the gravity of the situation.
The
announcement followed a meeting by foreign ministers from the four
nations - Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain - in
Cairo, shortly after they said they had received Doha's reply.
The
four accuse Qatar of supporting terror groups and also of maintaining
close relations with Shiite power Iran - Saudi Arabia's nemesis. They
also say Qatar must stop meddling in their affairs.
QATAR'S RESPONSE 'NEGATIVE ON THE WHOLE'
Egypt's
foreign minister, Sameh Shukri, told reporters Qatar's response to the
Arab states' 13-point list of demands was "negative on the whole." It
did not "lay the foundations for Qatar's abandonment of the policies it
pursues. It's a position that does not realize the gravity of the
situation," he added.
The ministers did not say what their next
steps would be - that, they explained, would be announced after further
consultations. They will meet next in Bahrain, but date has yet to be
set.
"We hope wisdom will prevail and Qatar will eventually make
the right decisions," added Shukri, 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.
Some of the rhetoric by the four ministers, however, was clearly belligerent.
The
Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said Qatar was
only interested in "destruction, incitement, extremism and terrorism,"
rather than in good neighborly relations.
Shukri said Qatar's
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.
QATAR ACCUSED OF SUPPORTING EXTREMISTS
Cairo
has long accused Qatar of supporting extremists and providing refuge
and financial backing for the Muslim Brotherhood, a group Egypt outlawed
and branded a terrorist organization shortly after the military in 2013
ousted President Mohammed Morsi, a Brotherhood member.
Earlier
Wednesday, US President Donald Trump, called on all parties in the
dispute to "negotiate constructively" and to "stop terrorist financing
and discredit extremist ideology."
A White House statement said
Trump's call for a negotiated settlement came in a telephone
conversation with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.
The
dispute erupted early last month when the four Arab countries cut ties
to the FIFA 2022 World Cup host. Qatar denies supporting extremists and
has defended its warm relations with Iran; the two countries share a
massive undersea natural gas field.
LIST OF DEMANDS ISSUED
The
four nations issued a 13-point list of demands on June 22, giving Qatar
10 days to comply. They later extended the deadline by another 48 hours
at the request of Kuwait, which is trying to mediate the crisis. That
second deadline expired early Wednesday morning.
On Tuesday,
intelligence chiefs from the four Arab countries met in Cairo, likely to
discuss the crisis, according to Egypt's state MENA news agency.
Qatar's
response was not made public but it had previously called the demands -
which include shutting down its Al-Jazeera satellite news network,
closing a Turkish military base in the country and paying restitution -
an affront to its sovereignty.
QATAR CRISIS- A GLOBAL CONCERN
The
crisis has become a global concern as neither side appears to be
backing down. Qatar, the world's biggest exporter of liquefied natural
gas, hosts some 10,000 American troops at its sprawling al-Udeid Air
Base. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has been trying to ease
tensions, while Trump's earlier comments on Qatar funding extremist
groups back the four countries' position.
The nations could impose
financial sanctions or force Qatar out of the Gulf Cooperation Council,
a regional body known as the GCC that serves as a counterbalance to
Iran.
Some Arab media outlets have suggested a military
confrontation or a change of leadership in Qatar could be in the offing,
but officials have said those options are not on the table.
On
Tuesday, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel visited officials in
both the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. He said Germany supported the
UAE's efforts at confronting those who fund extremists but also urged
the GCC to find common ground.
"For us (Europeans), the GCC is the guarantor of stability and security in the region," he said.
UAE KEEPS UP PRESSURE ON QATAR
Meanwhile,
Sheikh Abdullah, the UAE's foreign minister, has kept up the pressure
on Qatar. "To 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," he said. "Unfortunately,
we in this region see that our sister nation of Qatar has allowed and
harbored and encouraged all of this."
Qatar's foreign minister,
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticized the four Arab
nations for trying to isolate Qatar "under the banner of fighting
terrorism."
Though Qatar Airways' routes over its neighbors have
been closed, along with the country's sole land border with Saudi
Arabia, Doha has been able to import food and goods from other
countries. Its economy, fueled by its natural gas exports, seems to be
weathering the crisis though there has been pressure on its stock market
and currency.
The credit ratings agency Moody's warned early Wednesday that it had set Qatar's economic outlook to negative over the crisis.
"Depending
on the duration and potential further escalation of tensions, the
dispute could negatively affect Qatar's economic and fiscal strength.
Absent a swift resolution, economic activity will likely be hampered by
the measures imposed so far," Moody's said.
TURKEY: WHAT IS BEING DONE WITH QATAR RUNS COUNTER TO INTERNATIONAL LAW
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying in an interview
with German weekly Die Zeit Wednesday that "what is being done with
Qatar runs counter to international law."
He said the Arab states'
demand for a Turkish military base in Qatar to be closed shows "a lack
of respect toward us and Qatar." ''The Americans are also there, with
9,000 soldiers, and so are the French. ... Why are the Saudis disturbed
by us and not by that? This is unacceptable."
At the United
Nations, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said later Wednesday that
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has sent UN political chief Jeffrey
Feltman to the Persian Gulf to discuss how the world organization could
help resolve the crisis.
Feltman has already been to the United
Arab Emirates and was in Kuwait on Wednesday, Dujarric said, adding that
he would also be traveling to Qatar's capital, Doha.
Also Read:
Arab states send Qatar 13 demands to end crisis
Qatar could face further sanctions by Arab states as deadline approaches
అయితే తాజాగా ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్ లోని విజయవాడకు చెందిన ఒక రెస్టారెంట్ బంపర్
ఆఫర్ ప్రకటించింది. తమ రెస్టారెంట్లో వడ్డించే థాలీని తినగలిగే కస్టమర్లకు
అక్షరాల లక్ష రూపాయలను బహుమతిగా ఇస్తామని ప్రకటించింది. ఈ థాలీని ‘బాహుబలి
థాలీ ‘ అని పిలుస్తారు. 
5. రాత్రి పూట కొందరు భోజనంతోపాటు చిప్స్ వంటి స్నాక్స్ తింటారు. ఇది
ప్రమాకరం. కొవ్వు ఎక్కువగా పేరుకుపోతుంది. వాటిని తినరాదు. అందుకు
బదులుగా పండ్లు తింటే మేలు.
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