Egypt orders Qatari ambassador 'to leave'

Egypt's foreign ministry says it has given the Qatari ambassador in Cairo 48 hours to leave the country.

Egypt has given the Qatari ambassador in Cairo 48 hours to leave the country and has recalled its senior representative in Doha, the foreign ministry says.

"The Qatari ambassador was summoned today and given formal notification of the expiry of his accreditation as an ambassador to Egypt, and was given 48 hours to leave the country," a statement from the foreign ministry said on Monday.

An earlier statement by the Egyptian ministry said Egypt was also suspending air and sea links to Qatar and, citing national security, closing its airspace to Qatari aircraft.

Egypt's relations with Qatar have been fraught with tension since the ouster in 2013 by the military of an Islamist president allied with Doha. It also accuses the tiny but energy-rich Gulf nation of supporting militant Islamic groups and meddling in its domestic affairs.

Separately at least two state-owned banks in Egypt halted transactions in Qatari riyal, the state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper reports.

However, the riyal was still listed on the Central Bank of Egypt's website among a list of currencies local banks are allowed to use for transactions.