Qatar will not bow to demands from three Gulf states to alter its foreign policy, sources close to its government said, suggesting Doha is unlikely to abandon support for Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood.

Qatar will not bow to demands from three Gulf states to alter its foreign policy, sources close to its government said, suggesting Doha is unlikely to abandon support for Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, World Bulletin posted.

In an unprecedented move, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain recalled their ambassadors from Qatar on Wednesday, saying Doha had failed to abide by an accord not to interfere in each others' internal affairs.

Hours later Qatar's cabinet voiced "regret and surprise" at the decision by the fellow-members of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), but said Doha would not pull out its own envoys and that it remained committed to GCC security.

On Thursday, a source close to the Qatari government suggested Qatar would not comply.

"Qatar will not let go of its foreign policy, no matter what the pressures are. This is a matter of principles which we will stick to, no matter the price," the source said.

The source also suggested Qatar would not stop its practice of playing host to members of the Muslim Brotherhood, including Youssef al-Qaradawi, a cleric and a vocal critic of authorities in Saudi Arabia and the UAE who issued several Fatwas provoking Muslim youths against each other and mobilizing them to fight in Syria by the side of Takfiri terrorist groups.

"Since the day Qatar was founded we decided to take this approach of always welcoming anyone who seeks refuge in our country, and no amount of pressure will make us kick these people out," said the source close to the government.

A source at the foreign ministry also said: "It's the right of every sovereign state to have its own foreign policy."

The source also suggested that Qatar had no differences with fellow Gulf Arab states on Gulf matters.

The GCC is a pro-Western alliance of monarchies set up in the 1980s and includes several of the world's biggest producers and exporters of oil and gas.

Since the start of the Arab Spring, the tiny Gulf state has used its wealth to back armed opposition groups, especially in Libya and Syria.