Qatar wins 48-hour extension of Arab deadline, remains defiant

Four Arab nations extended from Monday to Wednesday their deadline for Qatar to respond to their 13 demands – at the request of the Kuwait mediator of the dispute. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut off ties with Qatar a month ago, making restoration of its access to their airspace and ports contingent on meeting their demands – mainly to cut ties with Tehran, the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamist terrorist groups. 

The four foreign ministers are scheduled to meet in Cairo on Wednesday. 
Qatar has so far defied those demands, Qatari Defense Minister Khalid bin Mohammed al Attiyah said Sunday: “Qatar is not an easy country for anyone to swallow. We stand ready to defend our country. I hope that we don't come to a stage where a military intervention is made.”

DEBKAfile: Qatar’s sabre-rattling is as unrealistic as its talk of military intervention: The Qatari army is not up to defending the island-emirate, while the Saudi and UAE armies are engaged to the limit in their uphill war in Yemen.