Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed the Qatari crisis and its developments in a phone call with his US counterpart, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Monday evening. The two also discussed the bilateral relations between Egypt and the US, as well as coordination and cooperation between the two countries towards several regional issues.
In an official statement, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid said that the two foreign ministers agreed to continue coordination and consultation in developments in the region and cooperation to boost relations between the two countries in all fields, highlighting the importance of relations between Egypt and the US.
No more details were mentioned in the statement.
The phone call comes a few hours after the Saudi-led coalition agreed to extend their Sunday deadline of demands to Qatar by 48 hours. The agreement states that Qatar must respond and comply with the 13-point list that Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain had given to Doha within the outlined time period.
The extension was suggested by Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, without stating whether Qatar had rejected the ultimatum, Kuwaiti state news agency KUNA said on Monday.
The first deadline was set to end at 9pm on Sunday.
Meanwhile, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahayan said that the Arab countries boycotting Qatar were still waiting for a response to their demands via the Kuwaiti mediation.
He added during a press conference with German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel in Abu Dhabi on Monday that he believes it is premature to talk about extra sanctions, and it depends on what they hear from the Kuwaiti mediator.
However, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir expressed his hope that Qatar will respond positively to the list of demands during a press conference with his German counterpart in the Saudi city of Jeddah.
Germany’s foreign minister said that the best way to solve the stand-off between Qatar and its Arab neighbours would be an agreement across the region to prevent the financing of terrorism.
On 5 June, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Yemen, and Libya’s eastern-based government, in addition to Maldives, cut their diplomatic and travel ties with Qatar. The six Arab governments accused Qatar of supporting terrorism, supporting Iran, and disturbing security and stability in the region—charges that Doha denies.
