Talks hinge on Qatar's compliance with demands: Saudi-led bloc

Kuwait City

THE Saudi-led alliance that severed ties with Qatar reinstated a list of 13 demands it wants the Gulf nation to meet before talks to resolve the eight-week crisis could start.

The four foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain also said talks with Qatar hinge on its commitment to "stop supporting and financing terrorism and extremism", according to a statement read out after their meeting in Bahrain's capital on Sunday. The bloc had dropped the 13 demands, which included shutting Al Jazeera television, and instead referred to six principles it said Qatar must agree to, fuelling speculation that the crisis could soon be resolved.