The United Arab Emirates, one of four Arab countries that have imposed sanctions on Qatar, said on Saturday that Doha needed to change its policies before a dialogue could take place.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Qatar and imposed an economic boycott last month, accusing it of financing extremist groups and supporting terrorism, charges Doha has repeatedly denied.

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said a call for dialogue by Qatar&#39;s emir Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad al-Thani was welcome, but this could only happen after Doha had made changes.

He did not specify these, but the four countries involved have issued more than a dozen demands, telling Qatar to close down Al Jazeera television, curb relations with Iran and shut down a Turkish military base.

&quot;Dialogue is necessary and needed but its backbone has to be revision,&quot; Gargash said on his Twitter account.

He expressed disappointment with a speech by Sheikh Tamim on Friday, the first the emir had given since the start of the crisis.

&quot;I had hoped that the speech of Sheikh Tamim would be an initiative for revision,&quot; Gargash said.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, an ally of Qatar, will visit Saudia Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar during a two-day mediation trip that begins on Sunday.

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said a call for dialogue by Qatar's emir Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad al-Thani was welcome, but this could only happen after Doha had made changes

The United Arab Emirates, one of four Arab countries that have imposed sanctions on Qatar, said on Saturday that Doha needed to change its policies before a dialogue could take place. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Qatar and imposed an economic boycott last month, accusing it of financing extremist groups and supporting terrorism, charges Doha has repeatedly denied. UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said a call for dialogue by Qatar's emir Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad al-Thani was welcome, but this could only happen after Doha had made changes. He did not specify these, but the four countries involved have issued more than a dozen demands, telling Qatar to close down Al Jazeera television, curb relations with Iran and shut down a Turkish military base. "Dialogue is necessary and needed but its backbone has to be revision," Gargash said on his Twitter account. He expressed disappointment with a speech by Sheikh Tamim on Friday, the first the emir had given since the start of the crisis. "I had hoped that the speech of Sheikh Tamim would be an initiative for revision," Gargash said. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, an ally of Qatar, will visit Saudia Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar during a two-day mediation trip that begins on Sunday.

No dialogue with Qatar until it revises policies: UAE

The crisis over Arab states severing ties with Qatar over its alleged support to terrorism took another turn as Turkey brought forward troop deployment to Qatar on Wednesday and pledged to provide crucial food and water supplies to the Gulf Arab country facing a worsening rift with its powerful Middle Eastern neighbours.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-shuts-qatars-al-jazeera-amid-ban-crisis-16464">Also Read:&nbsp;&nbsp;Saudi Arabia shuts Qatar&#39;s Al Jazeera amid </a><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-shuts-qatars-al-jazeera-amid-ban-crisis-16464">ban</a><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-shuts-qatars-al-jazeera-amid-ban-crisis-16464"> crisis</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/etihad-qatar-airways-suspend-flight-ops-to-deepen-regional-ban-rift-16451">Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain </a>had severed relations with Qatar on Monday and closed their airspace to commercial flights, saying it was funding militant groups.

Qatar vehemently denies the accusations.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has said isolating Qatar would not resolve any problems. Erdogan, who has long tried to play the role of a regional power broker, said Ankara would do everything in its power to help end the regional crisis.

Lawmakers from Erdogan&#39;s ruling AK Party and the nationalist opposition MHP were the main backers of the bill that allows troops to be deployed to Turkey&#39;s base in Qatar, but the main opposition CHP party said the timing sent the wrong message.

&quot;With these agreements, Turkey is making a choice and by standing by Qatar it is taking on the other countries. This is a wrong policy,&quot; CHP deputy head and lawmaker Ozturk Yilmaz said. &quot;How will you be a mediator if you are taking sides?&quot; he said.

Turkey has maintained good relations with Qatar as well as several of its Gulf Arab neighbours. Turkey and Qatar have both provided support for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and backed rebels fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The Turkish parliament has also endorsed an accord between the two countries on military training cooperation. Both bills were drawn up before the spat erupted. The fast-tracking of the legislation has weighed on the Turkish lira.

Turkey&#39;s main exporters&#39; body said it was ready to meet food and water supply demands from Qatar, after a Qatari official said Doha was in talks with Iran and Turkey to ensure trade disruptions did not create shortages.

Grain traders said Qatar appears to have a comfortable immediate supply of wheat.

&quot;Qatar recently purchased about 20,000 tonnes of Russian milling wheat which according to my calculations has just arrived in past days or will arrive in coming days,&quot; one European grain trader said.

The president of Qatar&#39;s Chamber of Commerce was quoted on Wednesday by local media as saying Qatar had enough food stored in strategic reserves to last for a year.

&quot;There will be no shortage of food and other products as more than 95 per cent of imports from Qatar arrive by air and sea,&quot; Qatari Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim al-Thani said.

Turkey set up a military base in Qatar, its first such installation in the Middle East, as part of an agreement signed in 2014. In 2016, Ahmet Davutoglu, then Turkish prime minister, visited the base where 150 personnel are already stationed, the Turkish daily Hurriyet reported.

In an interview with Reuters in late 2015, Ahmet Demirok, Turkey&#39;s ambassador to Qatar at the time, said 3,000 ground troops would eventually be deployed at the base, which was primarily to serve as a venue for joint training exercises.

The text of the draft bill, which includes the agreement between Qatar and Turkey on the base, shows the cooperation will be primarily about the modernisation of Qatar&#39;s military, as well as widening cooperation in training and war exercises.

The bill did not specify how many troops would go nor when.

&quot;With these agreements, Turkey is making a choice and by standing by Qatar it is taking on the other countries. This is a wrong policy,&quot; CHP deputy head and lawmaker Ozturk Yilmaz said.

&quot;How will you be a mediator if you are taking sides?&quot; he said.

(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

Turkish President Erdogan said isolating Qatar would not resolve any problems

The crisis over Arab states severing ties with Qatar over its alleged support to terrorism took another turn as Turkey brought forward troop deployment to Qatar on Wednesday and pledged to provide crucial food and water supplies to the Gulf Arab country facing a worsening rift with its powerful Middle Eastern neighbours. Also Read: Saudi Arabia shuts Qatar's Al Jazeera amid ban crisis Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain had severed relations with Qatar on Monday and closed their airspace to commercial flights, saying it was funding militant groups. Qatar vehemently denies the accusations. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has said isolating Qatar would not resolve any problems. Erdogan, who has long tried to play the role of a regional power broker, said Ankara would do everything in its power to help end the regional crisis. Lawmakers from Erdogan's ruling AK Party and the nationalist opposition MHP were the main backers of the bill that allows troops to be deployed to Turkey's base in Qatar, but the main opposition CHP party said the timing sent the wrong message. "With these agreements, Turkey is making a choice and by standing by Qatar it is taking on the other countries. This is a wrong policy," CHP deputy head and lawmaker Ozturk Yilmaz said. "How will you be a mediator if you are taking sides?" he said. Turkey has maintained good relations with Qatar as well as several of its Gulf Arab neighbours. Turkey and Qatar have both provided support for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and backed rebels fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The Turkish parliament has also endorsed an accord between the two countries on military training cooperation. Both bills were drawn up before the spat erupted. The fast-tracking of the legislation has weighed on the Turkish lira. Turkey's main exporters' body said it was ready to meet food and water supply demands from Qatar, after a Qatari official said Doha was in talks with Iran and Turkey to ensure trade disruptions did not create shortages. Grain traders said Qatar appears to have a comfortable immediate supply of wheat. "Qatar recently purchased about 20,000 tonnes of Russian milling wheat which according to my calculations has just arrived in past days or will arrive in coming days," one European grain trader said. The president of Qatar's Chamber of Commerce was quoted on Wednesday by local media as saying Qatar had enough food stored in strategic reserves to last for a year. "There will be no shortage of food and other products as more than 95 per cent of imports from Qatar arrive by air and sea," Qatari Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim al-Thani said. Turkey set up a military base in Qatar, its first such installation in the Middle East, as part of an agreement signed in 2014. In 2016, Ahmet Davutoglu, then Turkish prime minister, visited the base where 150 personnel are already stationed, the Turkish daily Hurriyet reported. In an interview with Reuters in late 2015, Ahmet Demirok, Turkey's ambassador to Qatar at the time, said 3,000 ground troops would eventually be deployed at the base, which was primarily to serve as a venue for joint training exercises. The text of the draft bill, which includes the agreement between Qatar and Turkey on the base, shows the cooperation will be primarily about the modernisation of Qatar's military, as well as widening cooperation in training and war exercises. The bill did not specify how many troops would go nor when. "With these agreements, Turkey is making a choice and by standing by Qatar it is taking on the other countries. This is a wrong policy," CHP deputy head and lawmaker Ozturk Yilmaz said. "How will you be a mediator if you are taking sides?" he said. (Reuters)

Turkey President Erdogan set to deploy troops to Qatar as Gulf crisis escalates

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday revoked the operating licence of Qatar Airways and ordered the airline&#39;s offices to close within 48 hours, state media reported, as a regional diplomatic crisis escalated.

&quot;The General Authority of Civil Aviation has decided to cancel all licences granted to Qatar Airways and to close all of its offices in the kingdom within 48 hours,&quot; a statement carried by the official SPA news agency said.&nbsp;

Saudi Arabia has also closed its border with Qatar, effectively blocking food imports and a segment of the country&#39;s exports over what Riyadh says is Doha&#39;s support for extremism.&nbsp;

Qatari share prices closed down 7.58 per cent on Monday after five countries -- Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen and the Maldives -- announced they were cutting diplomatic ties with the gas-rich emirate.&nbsp;

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt announced the suspension of all flights to and from Qatar as of Tuesday morning.

Hours later, Qatar Airways, which flies to nine cities in Saudi Arabia alone, announced it had suspended all flights to Saudi, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt in the wake of the diplomatic boycott.&nbsp;

The Gulf states have also ordered Qataris to leave within 14 days and banned their own citizens from travelling to the emirate.

(AFP)

This comes as a part of the ongoing diplomatic rift in the region

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday revoked the operating licence of Qatar Airways and ordered the airline's offices to close within 48 hours, state media reported, as a regional diplomatic crisis escalated. "The General Authority of Civil Aviation has decided to cancel all licences granted to Qatar Airways and to close all of its offices in the kingdom within 48 hours," a statement carried by the official SPA news agency said. Saudi Arabia has also closed its border with Qatar, effectively blocking food imports and a segment of the country's exports over what Riyadh says is Doha's support for extremism. Qatari share prices closed down 7.58 per cent on Monday after five countries -- Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen and the Maldives -- announced they were cutting diplomatic ties with the gas-rich emirate. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt announced the suspension of all flights to and from Qatar as of Tuesday morning. Hours later, Qatar Airways, which flies to nine cities in Saudi Arabia alone, announced it had suspended all flights to Saudi, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt in the wake of the diplomatic boycott. The Gulf states have also ordered Qataris to leave within 14 days and banned their own citizens from travelling to the emirate. (AFP)

Saudi Arabia orders Qatar Airways to shut shop within 48 hours

Saudi Arabia on Monday shut the local office of Qatar&#39;s Al-Jazeera global news channel after the kingdom and other Arab states severed ties with the emirate.

&quot;The Ministry of Information closed the office of the Al-Jazeera channel and withdrew the licence it was granted,&quot; the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

Read: <a href="http://Etihad, Qatar Airways suspend flight ops to deepen regional ban rift Read Highlights	Share Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, UAE cut diplomatic ties with Qatar">Qatar ban row</a>

It accused the channel of promoting &quot;terrorist groups&quot; and supporting rebels in Yemen, after Riyadh and some of its allies including Egypt cut diplomatic relations earlier Monday over Qatar&#39;s alleged support for groups including the Muslim brotherhood.

Read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/etihad-qatar-airways-suspend-flight-ops-to-deepen-regional-ban-rift-16451">Etihad, Qatar Airways suspend flight ops to deepen regional rift</a>

Separately, beIn Sports, a subsidiary satellite network of Al-Jazeera, went offline in the neighbouring United Arab Emirates, said an official in the UAE which was also among those to cut ties with Qatar.

&quot;We are getting a lot of calls regarding this... (the channels) are currently off air in the UAE,&quot; said an official at the DU telecommunications company, without elaborating as to why.

Cairo has accused Al-Jazeera of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood which it blames for violence after Egypt&#39;s military ousted the movement from power in 2013.

Three Al-Jazeera journalists, including a Canadian and an Australian, were detained in Egypt between 2013 and 2015, triggering international protests.

(AFP)

The official Saudi Press Agency accused the channel of promoting 'terrorist groups' and supporting rebels in Yemen

Saudi Arabia on Monday shut the local office of Qatar's Al-Jazeera global news channel after the kingdom and other Arab states severed ties with the emirate. "The Ministry of Information closed the office of the Al-Jazeera channel and withdrew the licence it was granted," the official Saudi Press Agency reported. Read: Qatar ban row It accused the channel of promoting "terrorist groups" and supporting rebels in Yemen, after Riyadh and some of its allies including Egypt cut diplomatic relations earlier Monday over Qatar's alleged support for groups including the Muslim brotherhood. Read: Etihad, Qatar Airways suspend flight ops to deepen regional rift Separately, beIn Sports, a subsidiary satellite network of Al-Jazeera, went offline in the neighbouring United Arab Emirates, said an official in the UAE which was also among those to cut ties with Qatar. "We are getting a lot of calls regarding this... (the channels) are currently off air in the UAE," said an official at the DU telecommunications company, without elaborating as to why. Cairo has accused Al-Jazeera of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood which it blames for violence after Egypt's military ousted the movement from power in 2013. Three Al-Jazeera journalists, including a Canadian and an Australian, were detained in Egypt between 2013 and 2015, triggering international protests. (AFP)

Saudi Arabia shuts Qatar's Al Jazeera amid ban crisis

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No dialogue with Qatar until it revises policies: UAE

Turkey President Erdogan set to deploy troops to Qatar as Gulf crisis escalates

Saudi Arabia orders Qatar Airways to shut shop within 48 hours

Saudi Arabia shuts Qatar's Al Jazeera amid ban crisis