国际英语新闻:Qatar calls on Gulf neighbors to address issues in "civilized way"

BRUSSELS, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thanion Thursday called on its neighbor states to lift the "illegal and baseless" blockade and tackle their differences in a "civilized way."

He made the remarks at a press conference in the European Parliament in Brussels after meeting with Members of European Parliament (MEPs).

The foreign minister stressed that the list of 13 demands for resuming diplomatic ties put forward by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt in late June, was "unacceptable".

"Qatar never accepts interfering in any country's politics, and will not accept others interfering in our politics," he said.

He also argued that "no none should claim Qatar has special relationship with Iran."

On June 5, the Saudi-led quartet severed diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed a blockade on the rich tiny Gulf nation, citing Doha's support for terrorism and extremism, interference in their internal affairs, and seeking closer ties with Iran. Qatar has strongly denied these charges.

Tensions were renewed last week when Qatar announced it would send back its ambassador to Iran, a rival for most Gulf nations. Qatar recalled its envoy in Tehran in early 2016 in a show of solidarity with Saudi Arabia after the attacks on two Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran.

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash on Saturday strongly criticized Qatar's "arrogance and adolescent behavior" for the deepening of the crisis.

Despite a flurry of diplomatic mediation efforts made by the United States, the European Union, and Kuwait in the past months, the Gulf standoff has shown no signs of abating.