Qatar officially responds to Saudi-led demands

Qatar on Monday handed its official response to a list of demands made by Saudi Arabia and its allies to the emir of Kuwait, a Gulf official said.

The response was delivered by Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani who made a short visit to Kuwait, which is acting as a mediator to resolve the diplomatic rift, the Gulf official said, requesting anonymity.

Kuwait's KUNA news agency reported that Sheikh Mohammed arrived in Kuwait earlier in the day to deliver a message from Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

No details were provided about the Qatari response, but the foreign minister said on Saturday that the demands by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt "were made to be rejected."

The Qatari response was delivered hours after the four nations accepted a call by Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah to extend the 10-day deadline by another 48 hours.

Rift with Qatar started in 2011

The dispute between Qatar and Arab countries is the latest chapter in the rift that goes back to the 2011 Arab Spring.

The protests, which aspired to democratic reform, turned into warfare in several countries.

Egypt and especially the UAE, emerged as main foes of an ascendant Muslim Brotherhood backed by Qatar.

TRT World's Zeina Awad reports from Doha, Qatar.