Saudi Arabia and Egypt have established a $10 billion joint fund to develop a planned mega-city in the south Sinai.

The deal was struck as Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held talks in the Egyptian capital on Sunday at the start of his first foreign tour as heir to the throne.

A Saudi official was quoted as saying that Riyadh’s part of the new joint investment fund will be cash to help develop the Egyptian side of NEOM, which Prince Mohammed unveiled last October as part of plans to wean the world’s top crude exporter off oil revenues.

A beaming Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi greeted the prince at Cairo airport after he descended the red-carpeted steps of his plane.

The head of Prince Mohammed's office, Bader al-Asaker, tweeted that the prince's plane was escorted by Egyptian fighter jets when it entered Egypt's airspace.

Prince Mohammed and Sisi, a key regional ally, agreed in talks to bolster economic ties and launch joint projects, "particularly in the tourism sector on the Red Sea", said Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Radi.

The prince is to fly off to Britain on Wednesday and then later this month to the United States.

Saudi Arabia views Egypt as a cornerstone of regional stability, after the former army chief Sisi overthrew his Islamist predecessor Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

Riyadh viewed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood with suspicion and at one point briefly recalled its ambassador from Cairo during his turbulent year in power.

It has since showered Cairo with aid to prop up the country's economy, in a relationship that has led to some controversy in Egypt.

In 2015, during a visit by King Salman to Cairo, the two countries agreed on the transfer of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, sparking protests in Egypt.

Sisi ratified the deal last year, and Egypt's top court annulled lower court rulings for and against the treaty on the eve of the crown prince's arrival.

Prince Mohammed's visit comes ahead of Egypt's presidential polls in late March, with Sisi expected to win a second four-year term.

The visit "will be interpreted as proof of Saudi support for Sisi to remain as the president of Egypt", Mostafa Kamel al-Sayed, a political science professor at Cairo University, told AFP.

Cairo and Riyadh have maintained close ties, although Egypt has signalled a lack of enthusiasm for Saudi regional policy, both on the Yemen war and a potential escalation with Iran.

But it is among a bloc of Arab nations that joined a Saudi-led boycott since June of Qatar.

The crown prince's tour also aims to court investors and comes after a tumultuous period that has seen a military shake-up and a royal purge in Saudi Arabia, part of his sweeping power play.

Prince Mohammed is already seen as the country's de facto ruler controlling the major levers of government.</s>RIYADH - Saudi Arabia on Friday extended sanctions on Hezbollah, in its latest action against the powerful Lebanon-based militant group fighting in support of Syria's regime.

The kingdom froze the assets and prohibited dealings with three Lebanese nationals and four companies. It named the individuals as: Fadi Hussein Sarhan, Adel Mohammed Sheri and Ali Hussein Zuaitar.

 Saudi Arabia also sanctioned Vatech Sarl, Le-Hua Electronic Field Co Ltd, Aero Skyone Co Ltd and Labico Sal Offshore. The United States Treasury Department last year sanctioned Beirut-based Sarhan and his firm Vatech Sarl, along with Sheri, of Shenzhen, China, and his firm Le-Hua Electronic Field Co. It alleged they were responsible "for providing material support to enhance the group's military and terrorist capabilities." Sarhan purchased unmanned aerial vehicles, while Sheri facilitated Hezbollah's efforts to obtain electronics "for transport to Yemen for use in improvised explosive devices by the Huthis", the US Treasury Department alleged.

 Saudi Arabia since last March has led an Arab coalition supporting Yemen's government fighting the Iran-backed Huthi rebels which seized the country's capital and other areas.

On Tuesday, Riyadh urged Saudis to leave Lebanon and to not travel there "for their safety", after the kingdom halted a $3 billion programme funding French military supplies to Beirut.

Riyadh cut the aid in response to "hostile" positions linked to Hezbollah.

Hezbollah is backed by Saudi Arabia 's regional Iran, with whom relations have worsened this year.

Qatar and Kuwait followed with similar travel advisories. But the United Arab Emirates went further, banning its nationals from travel to Lebanon and reduced diplomatic representation there.

Announcing the Saudi aid halt a week ago, an official said the kingdom had noticed "hostile Lebanese positions resulting from the stranglehold of Hezbollah on the state".

Riyadh was making "a comprehensive review of its relations with the Lebanese republic", the unnamed official said, cited by the Saudi Press Agency.

He noted specifically Lebanon's refusal to join the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in condemning attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran last month.

Riyadh cut diplomatic ties with Tehran after demonstrators burned its embassy and a consulate following the Saudi execution of a prominent Shia cleric.

In November, the kingdom added 12 names to a blacklist of individuals and firms allegedly linked to Hezbollah.

 Saudi Arabia has long been deeply suspicious of Hezbollah and its ties to Iran which gives military aid to the group.

Riyadh and its Gulf Arab allies have stepped up sanctions against Hezbollah and its alleged leaders since 2013 in retaliation for its intervention in the Syrian war to support Assad.

 Saudi Arabia backs rebels opposed to Syria's government.</s>Dubai: Qatar’s Ministry of the Interior has issued a terror list comprising 19 individuals and eight entities.

The list included 10 persons who had been previously listed in the three lists issued by Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, the Quartet that has boycotted Qatar since June 5 for supporting extremists and funding terrorism.

While the Arab Quartet welcomed the issuance of the list, it pointed out that Qatar has procrastinated in submitting it, which has been a demand of the Quartet since the crisis broke out.

“Qatar confirms the evidence against it and that its support for extremism and terrorism is the core of its crisis,” UAE State Minister of Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash posted on his Twitter account.

Observers believe Qatar is finally buckling under US pressure to resolve the crisis where it had been previously dragging its feet and avoiding responsibility.

The list reportedly includes 11 Qataris, four Egyptians, two Saudis and two Jordanians as well as six entities from Qatar, Daesh Sinai branch and Al Ihsan Charitable Society from Yemen.

Among the most prominent names on the list is Abdul Rahman Al Nuaimi who was designated as terrorist by the US government in December 2013 and the UN in September 2014 for providing financial support to terrorist organisations.

The US Department of the Treasury described Al Nuaimi, 64, as providing millions of dollars to Al Qaida in Iraq.

He also provided hundreds of thousands of dollars to Al Qaida members in Syria, Al Shabaab members from Somalia, and to Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula via a charity in Yemen.

In December 2016, Al Nuaimi issued a public call for support in the form of weapons, men, and money for Islamist militants in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

Al Nuaimi formerly served as the head of the Qatar Football Association, was a founder and board member of Eid Charity in Qatar (also placed on the terror list), and served as a top advisor to the government of Qatar on charitable donations.

During his activities in support of Al Qaida, Al Nuaimi co-founded and led the Geneva-based front organisation Al Karama Foundation, which served to pressure Gulf governments to release detained Al Qaida members, including several Qatari accomplices also sanctioned as terrorists.

Al Nuami was on the list of terror-linked individuals, entities issued by the Quartet in July.

In Geneva, prominent jurists have called on the international community to condemn Qatar and stop its support for terrorist organisations.

They have also called on international human rights organisations to end their policy of ignoring Qatar’s practices and its human rights record.

During a seminar organised by the Arab Federation for Human Rights, on the sidelines of the 37th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the jurists expressed their dissatisfaction at Qatar’s continuing and unrepentant support for terrorists and extremist organisations.

The participants at the seminar agreed that justice cannot be guaranteed and terrorism cannot be stopped completely unless those responsible are held accountable.

When the International Criminal Court was established, its main role was to not let criminals escape justice, they added.

They warned that the silence on Qatar’s practices sends a wrong message to those aggrieved by terrorism and threatens the right to life, which is a key human right, as well as the right to liberty and personal security, the UAE news agency (WAM) reported.

They affirmed that Qatar’s role in acts of terrorism in Bahrain and Yemen, as well as in Egypt and Libya, is no longer secret, and there are no doubts about the connection between Qatari authorities and terrorism. They also revealed key evidence that confirms Doha’s financial, media and operational support for terrorist organisations in these countries.

The jurists expressed their surprise that human rights organisations have overlooked Qatar’s human rights record. “Qatar is depicted in the international community as a supporter of human rights, but many human rights organisations have not noticed its internal human rights record,” they said in conclusion.

List of the individuals designated as terrorists by Qatar

1. Abdul Rahman Umair Al Nuaimi (Qatari)

2. Saad Saeed Mohammad Sharyan Al Kaabi (Qatari)

3. Abdul Lateef Abdullah Saleh Mohammad Al Kawari (Qatari)

4. Ebrahim Eisa Hajji Mohammad Al Baker (Qatari)

5. Mubarak Mohammad Misaad Ali Al Ajji (Qatari)

6. Khalid Saeed Fadhl Rashid Al Buainain (Qatari)

7. Rashed Salem Rashed Mohammad Abu Qaba (Qatari)

8. Mohammad Faysal Hamad Al Jabr Al Suwaidi (Qatari)

9. Mohammad Jaber Salem Mishaab (Qatari)

10. Abdullah Sulaiman Saad Abdullah Thamer (Qatari)

11. Abdullah Mohammad Shaker Shamseddeen Al Shibani (Qatari)

12. Ebrahim Mohammad Abdul Rahman Al Bawardi (Saudi)

13. Abdullah Mohammad Salman Al Muhaisni (Saudi)

14. Dhahi Mohammad Mustafa Mustafa Sinjar (Egyptian)

15. Ahmad Sameer Mohammad Al Habib Al Tunaijir (Egyptian)

16. Ahmad Eid Salem Al Hajawi (Egyptian)

17. Hassan Saad Shetiwi (Egyptian)

18. Abdul Malik Mohammad Yousef Othman Abdul Salma (Jordanian)

19. Ashraf Mohammad Yousef Othman Abdul Salam (Egyptian)

List of the entities designated as terrorists by Qatar

1. Al Ansar for Mobiles, Car Rental and Real Estate (Qatari)

2. Tiftinaz for Trade and Contracting (Qatari)

3. Jebel Omar for Trade and Contracting (Qatari)

4. Khairat for Trade and Contracting (Qatari)

5. Al Dhahaibya for Umbrellas and Tents (Qatari)

6. Al Ihitida for Furniture and Décor (Qatari)

7. Al Ihsan Charitable Society (Yemeni)

8. Daesh Sinai Branch (Egyptian)</s>Baku. 22 May. REPORT.AZ/ US president Donald Trump broke the tradition of visits, making his first foreign trip to Saudi Arabia. The US presidents usually make their first visits in the office to Canada or Mexico.

Trump’s first visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia can be regarded as an indicator of this country’s importance for US. Notably, the US president visited Saudi Arabia on May 20-21. On May 22-23 he starts visit to Israel to meet with the head of Jewish state Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

Trump will travel to Vatican to meet Pope Francis on May 24, then join NATO summit in Brussel on May 25. On May 26, he will visit Italy to participate at G7 summit in Sicilia.

Without any doubt, fighting terrorism, situation in Syria and future of this country, raising role of coalition in fighting ISIS and other interesting for international community topics will be discussed in all of his meetings. One of main topics for discussion during Trump’s visits to Saudi Arabia and Israel was deadlocked Palestine-Israel conflict.

Saudi Arabia somehow concerned with all issues discussed during the first official tour of US leader. From this point of view, his visit to the Kingdom cannot be regarded as a random one.

Making first official trips to Canada and Mexico cannot be regarded as actual in terms of importance in the context of current situation in the international arena. If Trump traveled to those countries, it would be regarded as an ordinary official visit made for the sake of traditional protocol.

Saudi Arabia and US also signed $110 billion arms deal during the trip. The Kingdom will spend $6 billion of the above sum to purchase 150 Black Hawk helicopters from US. Moreover, the agreement also envisages purchase of tanks, artillery, Patriot and THAAD anti-missile complexes.

At the same time, the sides also signed mutual investment agreement worth $250 billion.

Notably, former US president Barack Obama earlier froze the transfer of high-precision weapons to Riyadh, being cautious that they may be used against peaceful civilians of Yemen. But the new agreement lifts these kind of limitations.

One point hinted by US officials travelled to the Kingdom helps to reveal the meaning underpinning the visit. D.Trump called Muslim countries to take over part of burden of fighting extremism and terrorism: “The Middle East cannot wait for American power to crush this enemy for them”.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told: “So strong economic relationships are the foundation for strong security relationships as well”.

The Kingdom is also reckoned as one of key partners of US for oil import. Last year the US imported oil worth $20.9 billion from Saudi Arabia, being second after China according to this indicator.

15 terrorists out of 19 involved in September 11, 2001 attack wereSaudi origin. Relations between the two countries had deteriorated on this issue.In 2013, Saudi Arabia was irritated due to the warm relations between the US and Iran.

The visit helped to eliminate the discontent arising from these two issues.

Arab Islamic American Summit held in Riyadh on May 21.

High-ranking officials from 18 countries including Azerbaijan and Turkey attended the conference.Iran was not invited to the summit.

During Arab-Islamic-American Summit D. Tramp called on all countries to keep Iran isolated.In the first place he stressed the importance of the fight against extremism.

According to US President, this fight is not between different religions but between good and evil and stressed the importance of joint efforts to vanquish evil.

Notably, the summit was held with the slogan “Together we prevail.”

The participating countries in this event organized for the first time discussed the role of the fight against violence, terrorism and extremism for ensuring global security, stability and deepening cooperation in this field.

As a result of Trump’s visit to the Middle East “Arab NATO” was expected to create.

Notably, creation of Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism (IMAFT) was announced in December 2015.

The coalition includes Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, Jordan, Tunisia, Qatar, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Comoro Islands, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Yemen, Gabon, Maldives, Guinea, Palestine, Chad, Togo, Djibouti, Senegal, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Lebanon and Kuwait.

Turkey is ready to give military training forces will fight against terrorism, the fight against terrorism and support Malaysian authorities, but it would not participate in military operations.Saudi Arabia was the initiator of the establishment of the Union.

Notably, international coalition against ISIS includes 65 states. At the same time this union states are members of the coalition.

However, during a visit, D. Trump attended digital center of the fight against terrorism. Thus, “Arab NATO” has not been established but the center has been opened.

Thus, Trump’s visit to the kingdom clarified a few points.

The new administration of the White House chose Saudi Arabia as the center of power in the Middle East and kingdom remains a key strategic ally of the US in the region since 1940s.

The format of the visit and the meetings can be concluded that the official Washington continues attempts to find "Golden mean" for 70 years.

It is clear to those who are dealing with the matter, that the events in the Middle East has nothing to do with Islam. There are two clean lines on this issue - one of the groups formed under the name of Islam, the other belligerent countries against them. The first party in this war divided because of its claim and stubbornness. As a result the likelihood of the destruction or disintegration of Iraq and Syria, increasing.

In his speech at the summit, US President called on Muslim countries to jointly fight against such groups.

Tramp’s speech also made it clear that, US strategy in the region against Iran for 38 not expected to change further.

In other words, new pressures and sanctions can be imposed against Tehran.

New strain in US-Iranian relations, no doubt, will affect South Caucasus especially Azerbaijan. It increases the likelihood of new problems in choice between Moscow and Washington.

Such development of events could lead to further delay in the liberation of Azerbaijan's occupied Nagorno-Karabakh.

Notably, the holy cities of world Muslims - Mecca and Medina are in Saudi Arabia. Every year, millions of people are visiting these cities. Unfortunately, this visit together does not appear in important issues of Muslim countries.

The US president's visit and speech proved the necessity of establishment of this association.</s>DUBAI (Reuters) - Qatar said on Thursday it had placed 28 people and entities on a terrorism list, including several Qatari nationals already blacklisted by rival Arab states who accuse Doha of supporting militants.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt imposed travel, diplomatic and trade sanctions on Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of financing terrorism, meddling in the affairs of Arab states and cozying up to their arch-rival Iran.

Doha has called the charges “baseless allegations” and accuses the countries of seeking to curtail its sovereignty.

Adding to suspects identified in October, Doha’s new list, published on the official website of its National Counter Terrorism Committee, included some individuals first named by its rivals, but stopped short of mentioning more mainstream Islamists whose regional influence they oppose.

The move appeared to bring Qatar’s blacklist more in line with that of the Arab states, but the motivation for its publication remained unclear. A Qatari government spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The four Arab countries, which have called themselves the “Anti-Terror Quartet”, maintain a list of 72 people and organizations they say have links to Doha.

Named on the new Qatari list were two Qatari citizens who were described by the boycotting countries as financiers of the Islamist militant Nusra Front group fighting in Syria. Their whereabouts are not clear.

Absent from the list was the Qatar-based International Union of Muslim Scholars, which was formed in 2004 mostly by clerics belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood and chaired by the Egyptian Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawi. The group and Qaradawi are both blacklisted by Doha’s rivals.

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash posted on Twitter: “Apart from its obstinacy, Qatar is confirming the evidence against it and that its support for extremism and terrorism is at the heart of its crisis.”

Qatar had listed 13 alleged al Qaeda and Islamic State militants in October in a joint move with the United States and five other Gulf Arab states, including the boycotters.

The United States, which hosts a major air base in Qatar, has sought to resolve the diplomatic dispute. While President Donald Trump initially accused Qatar of funding terrorism in the past “at a very high level”, he thanked its ruler for combating terrorism in a phone call in January.</s>The Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in a photo taken on November 11, 2015. Photo by Reuters/Faisal Al Nasser/File Photo.

The Arab world's strongest powers cut ties with Qatar on Monday over alleged support for Islamists and Iran, re-opening a festering wound just two weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump's demand for Muslim states to fight terrorism.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain cut relations with Qatar in a coordinated move. Yemen, Libya's eastern-based government and the Maldives joined in later.

Qatar denounced the moves as based on lies about it supporting militants. It has often been accused of being a funding source for Islamists, as has Saudi Arabia.

Iran, long at odds with Saudi Arabia and a behind-the-scenes target of the move, blamed Trump's visit last month to Riyadh.

"What is happening is the preliminary result of the sword dance," Hamid Aboutalebi, deputy chief of staff of Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, tweeted in reference to Trump's joining in a traditional dance with the Saudi king at the meeting.

Closing all transport ties with Qatar, the three Gulf states gave Qatari visitors and residents two weeks to leave, and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt banned Qatari planes from landing and forbade them from crossing their airspace.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia stopped exports of white sugar to Qatar, a potential hit to consumers during the holy month of Ramadan, when demand is high. Some residents in Qatar have begun stockpiling food and supplies, Qatari media reported.

Along with Egypt, however, the UAE and Saudi Arabia are potentially vulnerable, being highly dependent on Qatar for liquified natural gas.

The diplomatic broadside threatens the international prestige of Qatar, home to a large U.S. military base and set to host the 2022 World Cup.

The hawkish tone Trump brought in his visit to over 50 Muslim leaders in Riyadh on Tehran and on terrorism is seen as laying the groundwork for the diplomatic crisis. It was unclear how it would play with the military base.

"You have a shift in the balance of power in the Gulf now because of the new presidency: Trump is strongly opposed to political Islam and Iran," said Jean-Marc Rickli, head of global risk and resilience at the Geneva Center for Security Policy.

"He is totally aligned with Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, who also want no compromise with either Iran or the political Islam promoted by the Muslim Brotherhood."

Qatar has for years presented itself as a mediator and power broker for the region's many disputes, but Egypt and the Gulf Arab states resent Qatar's support for Islamists, especially the Muslim Brotherhood, which they see as a political foe.

Muslim Brotherhood groups allied to Doha are now mostly on the backfoot in the region, especially after a 2013 military takeover in Egypt ousted the elected Islamist president.

The former army chief and now president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, along with the new government's allies in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, blacklist the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.

In cutting relations, Saudi Arabia accused Qatar of backing militant groups and broadcasting their ideology, an apparent reference to Qatar's influential state-owned satellite channel al Jazeera.

"(Qatar) embraces multiple terrorist and sectarian groups aimed at disturbing stability in the region, including the Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS (Islamic State) and al-Qaeda," Saudi state news agency SPA said.

It accused Qatar of supporting what it described as Iranian-backed militants in its restive and largely Shi'ite Muslim-populated eastern region of Qatif and in Bahrain. Qatar was also expelled from the Saudi-led coalition fighting a war in Yemen.

Egypt, the Arab world's most populous nation, said on its state news agency that Qatar's policy "threatens Arab national security and sows the seeds of strife and division within Arab societies according to a deliberate plan aimed at the unity and interests of the Arab nation."

Qatar denied it was interfering in the affairs of others.

"The campaign of incitement is based on lies that had reached the level of complete fabrications," the Qatari foreign ministry said in a statement.

Iran, Turkey and the United States all called for the sides to resolve their differences.

A split between Doha and its closest allies can have repercussions around the Middle East, where Gulf states have used their financial and political power to influence events in Libya, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

The economic fallout was already in focus as Abu Dhabi's state-owned Etihad Airways, Dubai's Emirates Airline and budget carriers Flydubai and Air Arabia said they would suspend all flights to and from Doha from Tuesday morning until further notice.

Qatar Airways said on its official website it had suspended all flights to Saudi Arabia.

Qatar's stock market index sank 7.3 percent with some of the market's top blue chips hardest hit and some Egyptian banks said they were halting dealing with Qatari banks.

The measures are more severe than during a previous eight-month rift in 2014, when Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE withdrew their ambassadors from Doha, again alleging Qatari support for militant groups. At that time, travel links were maintained and Qataris were not expelled.

Kristian Ulrichsen, a Gulf expert at the U.S-based Baker Institute, said if Qatar's land borders and air space were closed for any length of time "it would wreak havoc on the timeline and delivery" of the World Cup.

Soccer authorities said they were in contact with Qatar.

"It seems that the Saudis and Emiratis feel emboldened by the alignment of their regional interests - toward Iran and Islamism - with the Trump administration," Ulrichsen said.</s>U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a speech during Arab-Islamic-American Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 21, 2017. Photo by Reuters/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo

U.S. President Donald Trump threw his weight behind efforts to isolate Qatar on Tuesday, backing Saudi Arabia and its allies after they cut ties with Doha over claims it supports extremism.

In a surprise move against a key U.S. ally, Trump suggested Qatar -- home to the largest American airbase in the Middle East -- was funding extremism as he tacitly backed the diplomatic blockade of the emirate.

Trump tweeted, in reference to his trip to Riyadh last month.

Trump's broadside came as Kuwait's ruler flew to Saudi Arabia in a bid to resolve the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the Arab world in years.

Saudi Arabia and allies including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain announced Monday they were severing diplomatic relations and closing air, sea and land links with Qatar.

They accused the tiny Gulf state of harboring extremist groups and suggested Qatari support for the agenda of Saudi Arabia's regional arch-rival Iran.

Speaking to the BBC, Qatar's foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani gave the first response to Trump's tweets, denying any Qatari funding "of terrorism".

He said there was not any "evidence that the Qatar government is supporting radical Islamists."

But another Arab nation, Jordan, later Tuesday announced that after studying the causes of the crisis with Qatar it was downgrading its diplomatic representation in Doha, said Mohammed al-Momani, minister for media affairs, the Petra state news agency reported.

Amman has also withdrawn the licenses for a bureau of the Doha-based TV news channel Al-Jazeera.

Momani said Jordan hopes that the Arab countries overcome this "regrettable stage" and resolve the crisis on solid ground, the news agency said.

Energy-rich Qatar has long had strained ties with its neighbors but the move by Riyadh and its supporters raised fears of more volatility in the region.

The rift comes less than a month after Trump visited Saudi Arabia and called for Muslim nations to unite against extremism.

It was already having tangible effects, with dozens of flights cancelled, Qatari planes barred from regional airspace, and panic buying in Doha amid fears of food shortages.

Kuwait did not join fellow Gulf countries in taking measures against Doha, and its Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah went to the Saudi city of Jeddah for talks to resolve the crisis with King Salman.

No details were released of the discussions and the emir has now left the kingdom, the Saudi Press Agency said.

Another voice of support for Qatar came from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who criticized the sanctions and vowed to maintain and develop ties with Doha.

"Efforts to isolate Qatar... will not solve any problem," said Erdogan, praising Doha's "cool-headedness" and "constructive approach".

Qatar has said it is open to talks, but Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Qatar must "change their policies" and stop supporting "extremist groups".

French President Emmanuel Macron called for Gulf unity, saying he was ready to back "all initiatives to encourage calm".

As well as cutting diplomatic relations and ordering Qatari citizens to leave their countries within 14 days, the Gulf states and Egypt banned all flights to and from Qatar.

UAE carriers Emirates, Etihad, flydubai and Air Arabia, as well as Saudi Airlines had all announced the suspension of flights to and from Qatar as of Tuesday morning.

A total of 27 flights from Dubai to Doha had been scheduled for Tuesday and the Dubai Airports website showed all flights to Doha had been cancelled.

The crisis will have wide-ranging consequences, not just for Qatar and its citizens but across the Middle East and for Western interests.

Qatar is home to the biggest U.S. airbase in the Middle East, Al-Udeid, where some 10,000 military personnel are stationed. As the forward headquarters of U.S. Central Command, it is seen as crucial in the U.S.-led campaign against the Islamic State group.

A Pentagon spokesman said the crisis has had "no impact on our operations in Qatar or with regards to airspace permission around it".

The International Air Transport Association called on the countries that acted against Qatar to restore air links with the country, warning of major travel disruptions.

Qatar is also a major regional diplomatic player and international investor and is set to host the World Cup, football's biggest tournament, in 2022.

But Qatar has also long been accused by its Gulf neighbors and Egypt of supporting extremist groups.

In announcing it was cutting ties, Riyadh accused Doha of harboring "terrorist and sectarian groups that aim to destabilize the region including the Muslim Brotherhood, Daesh (IS) and Al-Qaeda".

Riyadh also accused Doha of supporting Iran-backed "terrorist activities" in eastern Saudi Arabia and in Shiite-majority Bahrain.

"The measures are unjustified and are based on false and baseless claims," Qatar said in response to Monday's announcement.

Gulf countries previously recalled their ambassadors from Qatar in 2014, ostensibly over its support for the Brotherhood, but Monday's moves go much further.

Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies may have felt emboldened by Trump's visit, which saw the new president clearly align U.S. interests with Riyadh and lash out at Iran.

Qatar has an independent streak that has often angered its neighbors.

The emirate has directly and indirectly supported Islamist groups across the Arab world, including the Muslim Brotherhood.

Qatar has also been criticized for supporting Islamist rebels in Syria, and in 2013, the Afghan Taliban opened a Doha office.

Fellow Gulf states are also reported to have been angered by a huge ransom paid by Doha earlier this year to secure the release of a hunting party, which included members of the Qatari royal family, kidnapped in southern Iraq.

The ransom, which Iraqi officials said was in the "hundreds of millions of dollars", was believed to have been paid to militias with close ties to Tehran.</s>Saudi Arabia and its allies said early Monday they had decided to extend by 48 hours the deadline for Qatar to accept their list of demands to lift a de facto blockade.

With the deadline expiring at midnight Sunday, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt agreed to give Doha an extension to respond positively to their demands.

The move came after a request by the Kuwaiti emir who is acting as mediator in the Gulf crisis, according to a joint statement issued by the official Saudi SPA news agency.

The Kuwaiti government had requested the extension following Qatar's announcement that it was due to hand over its response to the emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, on Monday.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt announced on June 5 they were severing ties with their Gulf neighbor, sparking the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the region in decades.

They accused Doha of supporting extremism and of being too close to regional arch-rival Iran, which Qatar has strongly denied.

On June 22 they presented a list of 13 demands and gave Doha 10 days to comply.

Riyadh's demands include ending Doha's support for the Muslim Brotherhood, the closure of Al-Jazeera television, a downgrade of diplomatic ties with Iran and the shutdown of a Turkish military base in the emirate.

The four countries indicated in their statement that they would study and evaluate Qatar's response before delivering their own reply to Kuwait.

Doha has so far indicated that it rejects the demands.

"The list of demands is made to be rejected," Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said Saturday in Rome.

"The state of Qatar... is rejecting it as a principle," he said, adding: "We are willing to engage in providing the proper conditions for further dialogue."</s>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday thanked the ruler of Qatar for "action to counter terrorism and extremism in all forms," the White House said in a statement that suggested a warming of ties between the two countries.

In June, Trump had called on Qatar to stop funding groups that commit terrorism, saying the Gulf nation had historically done so "at a very high level."

 Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, who along with Qatar are members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, plus non-GCC member Egypt cut off diplomatic, travel and trade ties with Qatar last year, accusing it of supporting militants and their arch-foe Iran.

 Qatar denies the charges and says their move is aimed at curtailing its sovereignty.

 The White House statement on the call with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani did not directly address the rift but said Trump "reiterated his support for a strong, united Gulf Cooperation Council that is focused on countering regional threats."

 "The leaders discussed areas in which the United States and Qatar can partner to bring more stability to the region, counter malign Iranian influence, and defeat terrorism," it said.

 

 (Reporting by Tim Ahmann; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Bill Trott)</s>Vietnam's Department of Overseas Labor (DoLAB) has urged local labor export companies to temporarily stop sending workers to Qatar.

The move come in the wake of a sudden and tense diplomatic crisis that has led some Gulf states to cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and suspend Doha-bound flights.

The blockade will remain in place until the situation in Qatar has new developments, the Tien Phong (Pioneer) online newspaper quoted the central labor department as saying.

At the same time, companies that have already sent laborers to Qatar have been asked to monitor the situation closely and provide contact information and support for their workers in Qatar if necessary.

There are currently around 1,800 Vietnamese contract workers in Qatar, mainly working in construction, mechanics and domestic services, according to the labor ministry.

The Arab world's biggest powers cut ties with Qatar on Monday, accusing it of supporting Islamist militants and Iran, and reopening a festering wound two weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump called for Muslim states to fight terrorism, reported Reuters.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed diplomatic relations with Qatar in a coordinated move, while Yemen, Libya's eastern-based government and the Maldives joined later. Transport links have been shut down, triggering supply shortages.

Qatar, a small peninsular nation of 2.5 million people that has a large U.S. military base, has denounced the move saying it is based on lies. It has often been accused of funding Islamists, as has Saudi Arabia.
Qatar's Interior Ministry releases a list of individuals and entities it says are linked to terrorism. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, who had demanded the list amid tensions with Qatar, welcome its release but criticise the time taken to prepare it.