Arab quartet says US-Qatari terror accord 'insufficient'

An agreement between Qatar and the United States on

combating terror funding is "insufficient", and the sanctions on Qatar

remain, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emiratessaid

in a joint statement on Tuesday.

The memorandum of

understanding announced in Doha during a visit by US Secretary of State

Rex Tillerson is "the result of pressure and repeated calls over the

past years by the four states and their partners upon Qatar to stop

supporting terrorism," said the Arab quartet.

"This step is insufficient," said the statement carried

by Saudi state news agency SPA, adding that the four states would

"carefully monitor the seriousness of Qatari authorities in combating

all forms of financing, supporting and harboring terrorism."

"Qatar

should completely and finally stop these activities and implement the

list of 13 fair and legitimate demands, in addition to any demands that

the four nations may later announce," the quartet said.

Among

the 13 demands by the Arab bloc are the closure of Qatar's

government-controlled TV news channel Al Jazeera, the termination of a

Turkish military base in Qatar and the severance of ties with Iran.

The

statement claimed that "the Qatari authorities have consistently

negated all their agreements and commitments, including the Riyadh

Agreement in 2013, which triggered the withdrawal of ambassadors from

Doha."

The ambassadors returned after Qatar signed the supplementary agreement in 2014.

"However,

Doha has continued to meddle in the internal affairs of states, and has

incited, colluded and harbored terrorists, funded terror operations,

and spread messages of hatred and extremism," said the statement.

The

four nations affirmed that the said "measures" will remain in place

until the Qatari authorities commit themselves "to fully implement these

fair demands, which seek to counter terrorism and realize stability and

security in the region."

The four Arab nations have

implemented a sea, land and air embargo against Qatar since June 6 and

expelled all Qatari citizens from their countries, with the exception of

those being granted an exception due to family relations with nationals

on humanitarian reasons.