Afrasianet - The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt will meet in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the escalating measures against Qatar after a deadline for Doha to meet 13 requests from the countries.

Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri said that a meeting of foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain would be held in Cairo on Wednesday (July 5th) to follow up developments in relations with Qatar.

The spokesman said that the meeting comes within the framework of coordination of positions and consultation between the four countries on future steps to deal with Qatar, and exchange views and assessment on existing international and regional contacts in this regard.

The countries of the region are waiting for a meeting of foreign ministers in Cairo on Wednesday, waiting for the worst crisis in the region since 1990, amid unprecedented escalation of positions on the parties to the crisis.

The latest sharp positions came on the lips of the Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations, Abdullah Al-Maalami, in which he said that "Qatar insists on destabilizing the security of Saudi Arabia and the countries of the region and support terrorism and create chaos," he said.

Al-Moallemi's position came after the Saudi foreign ministry announced its rejection of what it described as "Qatar's support for terrorism and extremism", pointing out that the imposition of the blockade on Qatar came in order to send a message that "

Bahrain's foreign minister, Khalid al-Khalifa, stressed the need for "Qatar to abide by its previous commitments and the demands made by the boycotting countries."

The four countries are due to return to Qatar on Sunday to respond to demands related to the Doha relationship with Tehran, the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Qatar, the suspension of financing of terrorist groups, non-interference in the affairs of Arab countries and the closure of Al-Jazeera.

Qatar's Foreign Minister, Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani, said that the countries of "the four siege have prepared their demands to reject. The demands are contrary to international law and are not aimed at fighting terrorism, but are undermining our sovereignty and violating the sovereignty of Qatar."

The Gulf crisis began on June 5 when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed relations with Qatar and imposed a land and air blockade on them, accusing them of "supporting terrorism," which Qatar denied.

This comes amid fears of a military escalation in the region against the backdrop of the crisis, especially after Qatar announced the arrival of military "reinforcements" including troops and equipment from its ally Turkey, to join the Turkish forces currently in there.

Turkish military sources said that Ankara wants to increase the number of its troops in Qatar to 600 soldiers.

On the other hand, according to the leaks, the four "boycott" countries intend to take military steps against Qatar.

Al-Ahram newspaper quoted Gulf sources as saying that the countries of the boycott plan to establish a military base in Bahrain as part of the escalating measures against Qatar, citing strong measures to be taken by those countries, including Qatar's economic boycott and freezing of its membership in the Gulf Cooperation Council. And freeze Doha deposits in the provinces.

As the end of the deadline approaches, Qatar announced its reliance on the efforts of its international partners, including the United States, Russia and Turkey, to resolve the current crisis.

While some observers say that US President Donald Trump supported this Saudi-led political movement, the United States is publicly committed to a conflicting position on the crisis.

In his first comment on the current tension in the Gulf region, the White House said that "all signs of funding extremism, as demonstrated at the Arab-Islamic Summit in Riyadh, show Qatar," while other officials in his administration avoid making such statements. To prevent the escalation of the status quo and to settle the dispute as soon as possible.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stressed that the list of demands posed by the embargo states to Qatar should be "reasonable and enforceable".

For its part, Russia has shown a clearer position than the crisis in the Gulf region, where Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Moscow's concern about the differences between Qatar and its neighbors, calling for resolving through direct dialogue between the parties.

Lavrov said that Russia does not interfere in the affairs of other countries or relations between them, but stressed that it is in contact with most of the parties to the Gulf crisis, adding that Moscow is ready to take additional steps to support the settlement efforts.

Since the outbreak of the crisis, Russian President Vladimir Putin has made phone calls to the Emir of Qatar, the King of Saudi Arabia, the King of Bahrain and the Turkish President, stressing the need to defuse tensions in the Gulf region as soon as possible.

For its part, Turkey has repeatedly stressed its opposition to the blockade imposed on Qatar by the countries of its neighbors, where Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan commented on these developments: "We do not believe that the sanctions against Qatar is right, and this situation will not benefit anyone, especially at this time when we need special solidarity and cooperation ... We welcome Qatar's cold blood and we will continue to develop relations with it. "

On Saturday, the Turkish President held a meeting with the Qatari Minister of State for Defense, Khaled Al-Attiyah, in which Ankara announced the existence of indications of the possibility of reaching a result on the Gulf crisis.

Iran, whose relations with Qatar are one of the reasons behind the imposition of the siege on Doha, immediately expressed its concern after developments in the Gulf region and called for resolving differences through transparent dialogue and not in any other way.

"The tension between neighboring governments under conditions in which the region is still suffering from the effects of the crisis of terrorism and extremism, and the continued occupation of Palestine by the Palestinians," said Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qasimi. Before the Zionist entity, will not be in the interest of any government or people in the region, but threatens the interests of all. "

In contrast to what Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have demanded, Doha has shown willingness to develop relations with Tehran, in a telephone conversation on Sunday by Iranian President Hassan Rowhani with Emir of Qatar Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani.