Qatar crisis: Turkey's Erdogan calls for swift end to Gulf dispute

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http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-40697432

Qatar crisis: Turkey's Erdogan calls for swift end to Gulf dispute

9 minutes ago

From the section Middle East


Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said it is not in anyone's interest to prolong a crisis between Qatar and its neighbours, as he embarked on a two-day visit to the region. Mr Erdogan will visit Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and then Qatar as he tries to resolve the dispute.

In June, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Qatar over its alleged support for terrorism and ties with Iran. Qatar denies aiding any terror groups.

A boycott put in place by the four countries has forced the gas-rich emirate to import food by sea and air to meet the basic needs of its 2.7 million population.
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On Friday Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani said he was ready for talks to end the crisis but insisted that the emirate's sovereignty must be respected.

The four Arab states initially made a list of 13 demands that included shutting down the Al Jazeera news network, closing the Turkish military base, cutting ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and downgrading relations with Iran. They later backed down, saying they wanted Qatar to accept six broad principles including commitments to combat terrorism and extremism, and to end what they called acts of provocation and incitement.