Qatar to face more heat as deadline ends

Qatar, shunned by Gulf neighbours over its support to terror, may have to face more action as the deadline for meeting their demands expired on Sunday.

According to indications given by various Gulf officials in the last few days, more stringent measures will likely be rolled out if Doha fails to act on the key demands of the Arab nations.

The UAE's ambassador to Russia, Omar Ghobash, recently told The Guardian in London that the Gulf nations were considering further economic pressure on Doha, such as reducing commercial links with states that continue to trade with Qatar. Ghobash also indicated that the expulsion of Qatar from the GCC was a possible measure but not the only one.  

There's no clarity yet on further sanctions the Gulf nations could impose on Doha, but bankers in the region believe that Saudi, Emirati and Bahraini banks might receive official guidance to pull out deposits and interbank loans from Qatar.

Meanwhile, Qatar's stock exchange dropped on Sunday following suspense over possible action by its neighbours.

Key demands

Shut down Al Jazeera news channel which has been accused of fomenting unrest and supporting militant organisations

Doha should cut ties with groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, which are blacklisted as terrorist organisations

Qatar should hand over dissidents from other states based in Doha

Turkish military base in Qatar should be closed

Doha should downgrade its diplomatic ties with Tehran

Source: Khaleej Times