Egypt to host Gulf nations in dispute with Qatar

Egypt says it will host a meeting of Arab nations that have cut off ties to Qatar.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid says foreign ministers of Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates will meet in Cairo on Wednesday.

He says the meeting will discuss the future steps in dealing with Qatar, as well as exchange of points of view and evaluating existing international and regional contacts.

Cairo also will play host to a meeting of a United Nations agency monitoring international air travel over a complaint by Qatar about its neighbors cutting off its air routes over the dispute. That meeting is due on Thursday.

The Arab nations have given Qatar a 48-hour extension to meet its demands to end the crisis. Qatar has rejected the demands, saying they violate the nation's sovereignty.