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Global news network could be shut down over diplomatic crisis

Al Jazeera staff work at their TV station in Doha, Qatar.

Al Jazeera staff work at their TV station in Doha, Qatar. Photo: AP

Qatar has been granted an extra 48 hours to respond to a list of demands issued by Arab nations designed to end a diplomatic crisis roiling the Gulf, including a request that Qatar-based news network Al Jazeera be shut down.

Saudi Arabia and three allies are accusing the 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts of supporting terrorism and have agreed to a request by Kuwait to extend Sunday’s deadline for Doha to comply, according to a joint statement on Saudi state news agency SPA.

Kuwait has been acting as a mediator after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and travel ties with Doha in early June, accusing it of being an ally of regional foe Iran.

The Arab nations restricted access to their airspace and ports, sealing Qatar’s only land border which it shares with Saudi Arabia.

Qatar denies it funds militants and justifies its ties to Iran due to the countries sharing a large offshore natural gas field.

Qatar has called the charges baseless and its foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said the stiff demands – including the closure of Qatar-based Al Jazeera TV and ejecting Turkish troops based there – were made to be rejected.

The countries have threatened further sanctions against Qatar if it does not comply with their list of 13 demands presented 10 days ago.

These include limiting diplomatic ties to Iran, cutting ties with all “terrorist organisations” including the Muslim Brotherhood and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, deporting Turkish troops currently stationed in Qatar,
paying reparations and shutting down Al Jazeera.

Egypt said on Sunday that foreign ministers from the four boycotting countries would meet in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss Qatar, without providing further details.

The joint statement released early on Monday by the Arab nations said the new deadline would expire late Tuesday or early Wednesday.

“The response of the four states will then be sent following the study of the Qatari government’s response and assessment of its response to the whole demands,” the statement said, according to a report by the Associated Press.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani has 48 hours to meet the demands. Photo: AP

It is not yet clear what further sanctions could be imposed on Doha, but commercial bankers in the region believe that Saudi, Emirati and Bahraini banks might receive official guidance to pull deposits and interbank loans from Qatar.

Kuwait’s military commander requested the deadline delay to provided more time to mediate the dispute, the Associated Press reported.

The US State Department, which is an ally of all countries involved, has endorsed Kuwait’s role as a mediator and called for both sides in the dispute to exercise restraint.

Why is Al Jazeera at risk?

When Australians think of Al Jazeera, many may recall the network as being the former employer of Australian foreign correspondent Peter Greste, who was imprisoned while on assignment in Egypt in 2013.

Al Jazeera has been accused of providing extremists a platform and interfering in the international affairs of Arab nations, despite the network claiming that these calls are “nothing but an attempt to silence the freedom of expression in the region”.

“We assert our right to practice our journalism professionally without bowing to pressure from any government or authority,” the network said last month.

“We demand that governments respect the freedom of media to allow journalists to continue to do their jobs free of intimidation, threats, and fear mongering.”

– with wires

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