Qatar given 13 demands as Gulf crisis deepens

Saudi Arabia and three other Gulf states have issued Qatar with a 13-point list of demands, including the cutting of diplomatic ties with Iran and the closure of its Al Jazeera television channels.

Other demands include a halt to military cooperation with Turkey and that Doha stops funding extremists designated as terrorist groups

Qatar has been given ten days to comply, although the message does not say what will happen if it fails to do so.

The list from Saudi Arabia, together with Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, which have been blockading Qatar since early June, was obtained by the Associated Press and a translation was published in the Dubai-based Khaleej Times newspaper today.

It is likely to ratchet up tensions in the Gulf and lead to Qatari objections that its neighbours are trying to dictate its sovereign affairs, said the New Arab current affairs website.

Qatari foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told France 24 Doha would not accept any "foreign dictations".

He added that "Qatar had always abided by international laws and played a key role in the international coalition fighting [Isis]", reports Al Jazeera. 

Doha has already refused to close Al Jazeera, while the country's ambassador to the US ambassador told the Financial Times this week that opponents "want to undermine our sovereignty".