US envoy to Qatar to step down amid Gulf crisis

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Speaking after meeting Qatari foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Mr Johnson said: "I have been in touch with my counterparts across the region about the current tensions with Qatar".

Jubeir said Qatar can move goods in and out "whenever they want".

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic ties with Qatar last week, accusing it of backing terrorism and promoting policies that destabilize the region.

Saudi Arabia has also sealed its land borders with Qatar, geographically isolating the tiny Gulf state.

Qatar and container lines have launched new shipping services via Oman in an effort to sidestep a port ban in neighbouring countries and secure a food lifeline after other Gulf states severed ties with Doha last week.

On Monday, Qatar Airways called on the UN's aviation body, the International Civil Aviation Organisation, to declare the Gulf blockade illegal and a violation of a 1944 convention on international air transport.

Qatar's neighbors cut ties with the country over accusations that it sponsors Islamic extremism, which Qatar denies.

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He also criticised Saudi Arabia and the UAE, both members of ICAO's governing council, for shutting down the airline's offices.

Qatar's port authority published video showing a container ship loaded down with cargo arriving at Doha's Hamad Port from Oman's Sohar Port, to a water-cannon welcome.

The new flights have increased Iranian air traffic by 17 per cent, the official state news agency has reported.

Qatar Airways has made Doha a global hub in just a few years, but barring it from Gulf states' airspace threatens its position as a major transcontinental carrier, experts say.

Qatar can't be allowed to own landmarks and businesses in the USA and Europe while using the proceeds to finance extremist groups, the UAE's ambassador to Washington said, as a media war between a Saudi-led alliance and their Gulf neighbour intensifies.

The nations that severed relations accused Qatar of supporting Islamist militants and Iran.

It reiterated Pakistan's "solidarity with the kingdom and the people of Saudi Arabia" and also quoted King Salman as saying the joint fight against terrorism is in the interest of all Muslims countries.

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