ABU DHABI: United Arab Emirates (UAE) foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan said on Tuesday that Arab countries boycotting Qatar over its alleged support for terrorism were still awaiting a response to their demands via mediator Kuwait.

“I think it is premature to talk about extra sanctions ... this depends on what we will hear from our brothers in Kuwait,” Sheikh Abdullah said at a press conference with his German counterpart in Abu Dhabi.

But Germany’s Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said Tuesday that the diplomatic standoff presented the entire region with an opportunity to move together to step up its fight against terrorism financing.

Speaking in Abu Dhabi on the second day of a regional tour, Gabriel said he had agreed with his UAE counterpart Al-Nahayan that the harboring of terrorists or their financing must end.

He added that there were plenty of ways to prevent a further escalation of tensions in the region, where Qatar faces a blockade from its Arab neighbors.