“Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said that the United States wants to end the Gulf crisis and there is no response from the siege countries to the American proposals to resolve it … Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani stressed that the US proposals must be first responded to before any talk about setting a date or place for dialogue,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement referring to Al-Thani’s remarks to the Al Jazeera broadcaster.
The minister pointed out that Qatar appreciated the diplomatic efforts made by Kuwait as well as by Russia and the United States.
“The siege countries, the foreign minister said, are required to respond to the American proposals so that to discuss the issue of dialogue to resolve the crisis and that Qatar's position is advanced ahead of the position of the siege countries, adding that there may be pressure in the coming days on these countries,” the statement said without going into details about the possible pressure.
On June 5, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates broke off diplomatic relations and communication with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism and interfering in their internal affairs. The Maldives, Mauritius, and Mauritania followed suite, while Jordan and Djibouti reduced the level of their diplomatic missions in Qatar.
In late June, Kuwait, acting as a mediator in the crisis, handed over to Doha the ultimatum of the four Arab states with 13 demands, including the requests to severe Qatar’s relations with Iran, close Turkey’s military base in Qatar and shut down the Al Jazeera TV channel, as well as to end support for the Muslim Brotherhood, a terrorist organization banned in Russia.
On July 5, the four Arab states confirmed Doha's refusal to comply with their demands and expressed regret over such a position.
