Measures taken by the United Arab Emirates and other nations against Qatar are aimed at pressuring Doha into changing its policies, not at overthrowing its regime, a senior UAE official told AFP on Wednesday.

"This is not about regime change -- this is about change of policy, change of approach," UAE state minister for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash said in an interview, accusing Qatar of being "the main champion of extremism and terrorism in the region".