Three Gulf monarchies have recalled their ambassadors from Doha in an unprecedented escalation in tension with fellow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member Qatar, accused of backing the largely banned Muslim Brotherhood.
Regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain said the decision on Wednesday was made in protest against Qatar's alleged interference in their internal affairs.
Doha said it regretted the recall of its envoys, but added that it would not follow suit.
The ambassadors' recall followed what newspapers described as a "stormy" late Tuesday meeting of foreign ministers from the six-nation GCC in Riyadh.
The pan-Arab Al-Hayat daily reported that the "marathon" talks lasted nine hours because of "differences on several issues, among them inter-Gulf relations".
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The Qatar Stock Exchange closed 2.09 per cent down following the decision.
GCC nations "have exerted massive efforts to contact Qatar on all levels to agree on a unified policy... to ensure non-interference, directly or indirectly, in the internal affairs of any member state," the three states announced in a joint statement.
It said they have also asked Qatar, a perceived supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood which is banned in most Gulf states, "not to support any party aiming to threaten security and stability of any GCC member", citing antagonistic media campaigns.
Critics accuse the influential Doha-based Al-Jazeera satellite channel of biased coverage in favour of the Muslim Brotherhood, and several of its journalists are on trial on Egypt for allegedly supporting the group.
The statement stressed that despite the commitment of Qatar's emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to non-interference, made during a mini-summit in Riyadh last year with Kuwait's emir and the Saudi monarch, Doha has failed to comply.
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchies have long been hostile towards the Muslim Brotherhood, fearing that its brand of grass-roots activism and political Islam could undermine their authority.
Most Gulf states hailed the Egyptian military's overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July and pledged billions in aid, while Qatar, which had strongly supported him, has seen its influence in Cairo evaporate.
The GCC, formed in 1981, includes two other countries -- Kuwait is currently the bloc's president and preparing to host the Arab summit later this month, and Oman, known for its reserved policy.
