Saudi Arabia and three other Arab countries that have imposed a political and economic blockade on Qatar are to drop their demands that the Al Jazeera Media Network be shut down.

This was disclosed by Noura Al Kaabi, the UAE minister for the federal national council, during an interview with The Times newspaper on Wednesday.

She said the Emirates sought ‘fundamental change and restructuring’ of Al Jazeera rather than to shut it. 

“The staff at the channel can keep their jobs and Qatar can still fund a TV channel but not one which provides a platform for extremists and where the English channel is a protective shield for the much more radical Arabic one,” Al Kaabi was quoted a saying by The Times.

She also said that the Saudi-led group was ready to negotiate with Qatar.

“We need a diplomatic solution. We aren’t looking for an escalation,” she said.

The anti-Doha quartet had earlier issued a 13-point list of demands that included shutting down Al Jazeera Media Network, severing all ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and with other groups, including Hezbollah, Al Qaeda and ISIS (also known as ISIS), limiting Qatar's ties with Iran and expelling Turkish troops stationed in the country.

But Qatar had rejected the demands saying it was baseless, and hence unacceptable.