Four Arab states vow new measures against Qatar

The four Arab states leading the ongoing boycott against

Qatar said late on Thursday that Doha's refusal of their demands to

resolve a Gulf diplomatic crisis is proof of its links to terror groups

and that they would enact new measures against it.

Saudi

Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Bahrain released a joint

statement carried by the countries' state media saying their initial

list of 13 demands was now void and pledging new political, economic and

legal steps against Qatar.

The Qatari government

sabotaged diplomatic efforts to solve the rift, the four states said,

and its refusal affirmed its continuing sabotage of the region's

stability and security.

Any measures taken by the four states would be aimed at

the Qatari government but not its people, they said, without elaborating

on when the new steps would be announced or what they would entail.

During

a meeting in Cairo on Wednesday, Saudi Arabia and its allies threatened

further punitive action against Qatar after the ultimatum they gave the

small oil and gas-rich peninsula to respond to their list of demands

ended.

Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir said

further steps against Doha would be taken “at the appropriate time” as

its response was "not serious."

In response, his

Qatari counterpart, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, blasted the

decision as a "clear aggression" against his country, noting that Qatar

will continue to call for dialogue despite the quartet's violations of

international laws and regulations.

Saudi Arabia and

its allies cut diplomatic ties and closed transport links with the small

peninsula in June, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism and disrupting

the stability of the region.

A list of 13 demands,

including shuttering down Al Jazeera network and cutting back ties with

Iran, was produced by the four nations and presented to Qatar in return

for lifting the restrictions.

Doha said the requirements are not "reasonableor actionable."