Germany calls for diplomacy to resolve Qatar crisis, end blockade

Wolfenbuettel: German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel on Friday called for increased diplomatic efforts to resolve the Qatar crisis, and said neighbouring Arab states should lift a land, sea and air blockade imposed on the small Gulf state this week.

"We are convinced that now is the hour of diplomacy and we must talk to each other," Gabriel told reporters after a meeting Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani in Wolfenbuettel, Germany. 

"Along with our American colleagues but above all our colleagues in the region, we must try to find solutions, especially lifting the sea and air blockades," he said.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut ties with Qatar this week over its alleged support of terrorism, a charge Qatar dismissed on Friday as baseless.

Sheikh Mohammed said the blockade of Qatar broke international law and described the severing of land, air and sea links to his country as "collective punishment."

"These procedures that were taken (are) clear violations of international law and international humanitarian law. They will not have a positive impact on the region but a negative one," he told reporters.

Earlier on Friday, the four Arab nations issued a list of dozens of people designated as terrorists with alleged links to Qatar.

Sheikh Mohammed said that list included journalists and other individuals who had no relationship to Qatar, including some who had never visited the country.

"What is the crime that Qatar committed to deserve this collective punishment that violates all international laws?" he said.

Gabriel said he was optimistic that diplomatic efforts by the United States, Kuwait, the European Union and Germany could defuse the crisis, saying "it must not end in further escalations that include violence."

Turkey and Saudi Arabia were among countries in the region that had previously supported organisations viewed by Germany as dangerous, he said.

Germany would pursue its concerns about indirect support for militant groups by individuals living in Qatar via its intelligence services, Gabriel said, adding that he believed Doha would respect its agreements with Berlin.