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Alternative to Qatar demands 'not escalation but parting ways' says UAE minister

Alternative to Qatar demands 'not escalation but parting ways' says UAE minister
(Photo credit: Radio Free Europe)

Mubasher: Early on Saturday, a top UAE official stated that if Qatar failed to accept the ultimatum issued by Arab states against it, then the alternative would "not [be] escalation but parting ways", Reuters reported.

"The alternative is not escalation, the alternative is parting of ways, because it is very difficult for us to maintain a collective grouping," the UAE's foreign affairs minister Anwar Gargash said Saturday.

A list of 13 points was issued by a number of Arab countries, namely Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the UAE, which said they were planning to boycott Qatar, after accusing it of supporting terrorism.

The Qatari government said that the list was "not reasonable or actionable", the news agency said.

The list involved shutting Qatar's TV network Al Jazeera, cutting or reducing ties with Iran, closing a Turkish base and paying reparations.

Gargash stated that diplomacy will continue to be a priority, but noted that mediation efforts to resolve the rift "had been undermined by the public disclosure of the demands."

Countries like Kuwait have attempted to mediate between Gulf and Arab states on the one hand and Qatar on the other to resolve the dispute, but no results have been seen thus far.

"The mediators' ability to shuttle between the parties and try and reach a common ground has been compromised by this leak," Gargash stated, noting that "Their success is very dependent on their ability to move but not in the public space."

If Qatar fails to comply with the demands within a 10-day time frame, specified in the ultimatum, the country would be isolated, Gargash revealed, but did not clarify what else would be done.

Earlier in June, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the UAE announced cutting diplomatic and transport links with Qatar, after accusing it of financing terrorism.

Qatar has so far rejected the accusations piled against it, saying that it was being penalised for straying away from its Gulf counterparts' backing for authoritarian rulers.