Qatar given two-day extension to meet demands from Gulf neighbours

Saudi Arabia and its allies in the Middle East have extended a deadline given to Qatar to meet a list of demands in order to end a diplomatic crisis.

The Gulf state will now have an additional 48 hours to comply with the demands or come to an agreement with its counterparts.

Qatar had been given a deadline of Sunday by Riyadh in order to comply with the set of thirteen demands, which included the cessation of relations with the Muslim Brotherhood and the shutting down of media network al-Jazeera.

Its Gulf neighbours placed a blockade on the country after accusing it of funding extremism.

Doha has rejected the demands and said it will not be meeting them, and it is unclear what will happen if the additional deadline passes on Tuesday.

Restrictions placed on Qatar last month have crippled the oil-rich nation’s resources as it heavily relies on imports for its population’s basic needs.

A joint statement released by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain on Sunday confirmed that they had allowed a further 48 hours of deliberation, at the request of Kuwait, which is acting as a mediator in the crisis.