Saudi-Led Regimes Blacklist 18 Qatari-Linked Organizations, Individuals

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt blacklisted nine charity and media organizations and nine individuals "directly or indirectly linked to Qatari authorities" as "terrorist", a joint statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency said. "We expect Qatari authorities to take the next step and prosecute the terrorist groups and people," the statement added.
 
The move is a blow to international efforts to resolve the ongoing crisis which was sparked off when the four Arab governments severed ties with Qatar and imposed a land, sea and air blockade on the tiny Persian Gulf state.
 
The four Arab states issued a  list of preconditions to end the siege, including the closure of the Al-Jazeera television network and a Turkish base in Doha, downgrading ties with neighboring Iran and ending support for Muslim Brotherhood and Palestinian Hamas movement among others that the brand as extremist and terrorist.
 
Doha denies the accusation of supporting terrorism and says the blockade is a violation of international law while insisting that maintaining ties with other countries is a sovereign right.
 
The four governments on Tuesday blacklisted three organizations based in Yemen and six based in Libya accusing them of ties to al-Qaeda.
 
They also blacklisted three Qataris, three Yemenis, two Libyans and a Kuwaiti they said were implicated in "fundraising campaigns to support (former al-Qaeda affiliate) al-Nusra Front and other terrorist militias in Syria".
 
Qatar and its neighbors support opposing sides in the conflict in Libya between a UN-backed unity government in Tripoli and a rival administration in the east.
 
Qatar supports militia that back the unity government, while the United Arab Emirates has provided arms deliveries to its rival that a UN panel found were in violation of UN sanctions.