Qatar isolated as Gulf states cut links over terror claims
Doha insists there is "no legitimate justification" for the dramatic move that comes amid a furious diplomatic spat with Riyadh.
Monday 5 June 2017 11:42, UK
Five Arab countries have severed ties with Qatar leaving it physically and diplomatically isolated over claims it supports terrorism.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Bahrain have accused Doha of destabilising the region by backing extremist groups, including Islamic State.
The coalition cut all land, sea and air transport links in a coordinated move to shut off Qatar, whose only border is with Saudi Arabia.
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Qatari citizens living in any of the five territories have been given two weeks to leave, while diplomats based in the UAE have been given just 48 hours.
National carrier Qatar Airways has already faced disruption because of the change in airspace restriction.
The sharp escalation in tensions is attributed by Saudi state news agency SPA to accusations Qatar is backing militant groups.
It said the move was due to Doha's "embrace of various terrorist and sectarian groups aimed at destabilising the region" - naming the Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic State and al Qaeda.
But Qatar's foreign ministry insisted there was "no legitimate justification" for the decision, and said it was a "violation of its sovereignty".
The gas-rich state has previously denied claims it supports terrorist organisations.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson played down the impact of the dispute on global efforts to combat terrorism.
"I do not expect that this will have any significant impact, if any impact at all, on the unified, the unified, fight against terrorism in the region or globally," he said.
Tensions in the Gulf were already strained over a recent report by the state-run Qatar News Agency (QNA) that claimed the country's Emir had made comments critical of Saudi Arabia.
QNA said Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani had condemned efforts by US President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's King Salman to isolate Iran.
Qatar dismissed the report, saying it was fake and the work of hackers.
But Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia all responded by blocking Al Jazeera, a Qatari state-funded news website, in their own countries.
The American FBI have since been drafted in to investigate the source of the cyber attack, the news agency AFP said.