Arab states at odds with Qatar meet in Cairo

Foreign ministers from four Arab nations that have sought to isolate Qatar over its alleged support for extremist groups have started talks in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

Their meeting comes hours after the quartet — Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain — said they had received Qatar’s response to their demands for ending the crisis.

The four cut ties to Qatar early last month, accusing it of supporting hard-line militant groups in the region. Qatar denies supporting extremists and has defended its warm relations with Iran, with which it shares a massive undersea gas field.

The nations issued a 13-point list of demands last month, giving Qatar 10 days to comply. They later extended the deadline by another 48 hours at the request of Kuwait, which has acted as a mediator.

That deadline expired earlier today.

— AP