Qatar rejects 'blockade', denies terror allegations

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Qatar said the list of terror-related groups and individuals released by the four Arab countries was "baseless allegations that hold no foundation in fact", asserting that "Qatar strongly condemns terrorism in all its forms".

The Qatar-based satellite news network Al-Jazeera says it is under cyberattack on "all systems".

Qatar's foreign minister on Friday described Arab powers' "blockade" of his country as a violation of worldwide law and said there was an attempt to mobilise global opinion against the Gulf emirate.

Omar Saif Ghobas, the United Arab Emirates' ambassador to Russian Federation, said a verification system would have to be put in place to ensure Qatar stuck to any future deal not to nurture or fund terror. They cut air, sea and land links and ordered Qatari officials and nationals stationed in their countries to return home. The Arab countries have blocked Qatari vessels from entering their airspace, as well as using their seaports, and Saudi Arabia has closed off its land border.

Turkey has brought forward a planned troop deployment to Qatar and pledged to provide food and water supplies to its Arab ally, which hosts a Turkish military base.

"We are an independent country with sovereignty", he said, rejecting tutelage from other states.

Speaking to the AP from a Foreign Ministry office in Dubai, Gargash listed a number of terror groups he alleged Qatar had funded, including al-Qaida's branches in Syria and Somalia, militants in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and other group's with "al-Qaida-type organizations" in Libya. He offered no documents to support his claim, but Western officials long have accused Qatar's government of allowing or even encouraging funding of Sunni extremists.

Demands include "definitely" expelling members of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, and ceasing support for groups "with Al Qaeda DNA" around the world.

Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani today made clear that they are totally unwilling to change their foreign policy position over the ongoing blockade by the Saudis and their allies, and that they are prepared to live under embargo forever, noting they have the backing of the rest of the worldwide community.

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In his second intervention in the dispute in as many days, Trump urged action against terrorism in a call with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, a White House statement said, suggesting a meeting at the White House "if necessary".

Trump initially took sides with the Saudi-led group before apparently being nudged into a more even-handed approach when US defense officials renewed praise of Doha, mindful of the major USA military base hosted by Qatar that serves, in part, as a launchpad for strikes on Islamic State insurgents.

The spat has isolated Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and the ruler's engagement in the dialogue will be a key determinant in the outcome of the crisis.

Spokesman Mohammad Al-Momani said Jordan will continue to exert effort toward regional security and stability, and for Arab countries to agree on policies to end the crises in the region. "They have known for a very long time we have issues with the funding of extremists". "Again, this is Qataris speaking to global media wondering whether this is possible at all".

The Gulf countries have ordered their citizens out of Qatar and gave Qataris overseas 14 days to return home. "They are hosted here. for peace talks". An Al-Jazeera spokesperson said that the company's servers had not been compromised thus far in the continuing attack. The countries also said they would eject Qatar's diplomats.

Bahrain's decision comes after the UAE on Wednesday warned that those who are sympathetic to Qatar on social media could face three to 15 years in prison and fines starting from 500,000 dirhams ($136,000). Russia denied Wednesday it hacked the agency after a CNN report quoted anonymous USA officials saying they suspected Russian hackers.

In an interview with BBC radio, UAE Ambassador to Russia Omar Saif Ghobash said Qatar had to choose between supporting extremism or supporting its neighbors.

Ghobas, one of the most eloquent exponents of UAE thinking, insisted the new anti-Qatar alliance was not planning a military invasion or externally enforced regime change. The report was widely picked up by regional media outlets, which continued circulating it after Qatar's denial.

"That hack showed the UAE's real concerns and that what we really say in our private emails is what we say publicly", Gargash said.

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