More Than Two Months of the Qatar Crisis
Below are developments in the diplomatic crisis pitting Qatar against Saudi Arabia and its allies, who cut ties with Doha more than two months ago, accusing it of backing extremists.
- Ties cut -On June 5, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and the Maldives sever diplomatic ties with Qatar.
They accuse it of supporting "terrorists" and of being too close to Iran, Saudi Arabia's regional rival.
It is the biggest diplomatic crisis to hit the region in years.
Riyadh and its allies close land and maritime borders, suspend air links and expel Qatari citizens.
Saudi Arabia also closes the Riyadh bureau of Qatari broadcaster Al-Jazeera.
Qatar claims its neighbours are pursuing a "policy of domination and control" and insists it will not back down.
On June 6, Mauritania joins the boycott and Jordan trims its diplomatic presence in Doha.
- 'Blockade' -On June 7, the United Arab Emirates says the measures against Qatar are "not about regime change" but rather about "change of policy".
On June 19, the UAE state minister for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash says Qatar's diplomatic isolation could last "years".
Doha demands the "blockade" be lifted before talks on resolving the standoff.
- Ultimatum rejected -On June 22, Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE send a list of 13 demands to Qatar, giving Doha 10 days to comply.
Among the demands are shutting down Al-Jazeera, curbing relations with Iran and closing a Turkish military base in the emirate.
On July 4, as the deadline approaches, Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani says the list of demands "is unrealistic and is not actionable".
A day later, the four-nation Saudi-led bloc threaten new sanctions.
- Efforts -On July 11, the United States and Qatar say they have signed an agreement on fighting the financing of terrorism, as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visits the Gulf region. Doha's adversaries say the accord does not go far enough.
On July 20, Qatar announces changes to its anti-terror legislation. The decree from Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani establishes two national lists for individuals and terrorist entities and sets out the requirements for being included on them.
On July 24, after a tour of the region, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says more time is needed to break the deadlock.
- Blacklist -On July 25, Saudi Arabia and its allies unveil a "terrorist" blacklist of 18 organisations and individuals suspected of links with Islamist extremism that they say have ties with Qatar. The list now includes almost 90 names.
On July 28, Doha accuses Riyadh of seeking to control its foreign policy, describing the blacklist as a "new ultimatum".
- Breaking isolation -On August 2, Qatar announces an order for seven warships from Italy. In June, it had signed an accord with the United States for the sale of F-15 fighter jets.
On August 4, Brazilian footballer Neymar arrives in Paris to join his new club Paris Saint-Germain owned by Qatar, which put up more than 220 million euros ($257 million) for his transfer.
On August 9, Qatar introduces a visa-free entry programme for 80 nationalities to stimulate air transport and tourism.
- Saudi border opening -On August 17, state media says Saudi Arabia's King Salman has ordered the reopening of the border with Qatar to hajj pilgrims, after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman receives an envoy from Doha.
