A United Nations expert and a media freedom watchdog on Wednesday criticized four Arab states for seeking to close Al Jazeera television in a rift with Qatar.

Gulf Arab states are considering fresh sanctions on Qatar and could ask their trading partners to choose between working with them or Doha, the United Arab Emirates ambassador to Russia said in an interview with The Guardian newspaper.

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said on Tuesday that demands by Arab states that his country stop aiding terrorism were baseless and unacceptable, Qatari-owned Al Jazeera television reported.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said on Tuesday that there will be no negotiations with Qatar over the demands list presented by the Kingdom and the 3 other Arab States, Al-Ekhbariya TV reported.

resident Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday dismissed calls for Turkey to close a military base in Qatar and said a wider list of demands issued by four Arab states was an unlawful intervention against the Gulf state's sovereignty.

A boycott imposed by four Arab nations that accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism is squeezing the tourism sector and Doha's hotels which would normally be full in the Eid al-Fitr holiday have seen steep falls in their occupancy rates.

Bahrain's foreign minister accused Qatar on Monday of creating a military escalation in a dispute with regional powers, in an apparent reference to Doha's decision to let more Turkish troops enter its territory.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani voiced support on Sunday for Qatar in its confrontation with Iran's rival Saudi Arabia and its allies, saying a "siege of Qatar is unacceptable", the state news agency IRNA reported.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Sunday that Qatar and the four Arab states that imposed a boycott on their tiny but wealthy neighbor should sit down together in order to try to reach a resolution.

The cost of insuring exposure to Qatari sovereign debt rose to a one-year high on Monday after neighbouring Arab states, which have imposed sanctions on Qatar, issued an ultimatum, giving Doha 10 days to comply.

Qatar is reviewing a list of demands presented by four Arab states imposing a boycott on the wealthy Gulf country, but said on Saturday the list was not reasonable or actionable.

Turkey rejected a call from four Arab states on Friday to shut down its military base in Qatar, saying the base was a guarantor of security in the Gulf and demands for its closure represented interference in its ties with Doha.

Four Arab states boycotting Qatar over alleged support for terrorism have sent Doha a list of 13 demands including closing Al Jazeera television and reducing ties to Iran, an official of one of the four countries said.

Four Arab states boycotting Qatar over alleged support for terrorism have sent Doha a list of 13 demands including closing Al Jazeera television and reducing ties to their regional adversary Iran, an official of one of the four countries said.

The Saudi journalist and host at Qatar’s Al-Jazeera Channel, announced his resignation.

Qatar's attorney general said on Tuesday his country has evidence that the hacking of Qatar's state news agency was linked to countries that have severed ties with Doha.

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said on Monday that he plans to travel to the United States next week to discuss the impact of a rift with Gulf Arab states on its economy and on the fight against terrorism.

Barclays (BARC.L) and four former top executives were charged with fraud on Tuesday over undisclosed payments to Qatari investors as part of a 12 billion pound ($15 billion) emergency fundraising during the financial crisis in 2008.

Qatar will not negotiate with its neighbors to resolve the Gulf dispute unless they first lift the trade and travel boycott they imposed two weeks ago, its foreign minister said, but added Doha still believed a solution was possible.

Emirates Writers Union banned its members from dealing with any Qatari organization or participating in any activity organized or financed by Qatar.