Qatar foreign minister says there has been movement on resolving Gulf dispute
- 3 years ago
Qatar’s foreign minister said on Friday that there has been movement on resolving a bitter diplomatic dispute among the Gulf countries but that he could not predict whether a breakthrough was imminent or would fully resolve the matter.
The United States and Kuwait have been working to end a row that has seen Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt sever diplomatic, trade and travel ties with Qatar since mid-2017. Washington says it wants a united Gulf front against Iran.
Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani’s comments to an Italian diplomatic conference come after White House senior adviser Jared Kushner held talks in Doha on Wednesday following a visit to Saudi Arabia.
“Right now there are some movements that we hope will put an end to this crisis,” said Sheikh Mohammed, speaking via video-link. “We are hopeful that things will move in the right direction right now. We cannot predict whether it will be imminent or resolve the issue in one day.”
"We believe that Gulf unity is very important for the security of the region. This needless crisis needs to end based on mutual respect."
“There is no country that is in a position to place demands on the other. There are differences that need to be overcome,” said Al-Thani.
“If there are any disagreements, there must be a discussion to resolve them. We need to build our relationship based on mutual respect of sovereignty,” he added.
“The Kuwait mediation is being carried out between Qatar and the four countries. Any resolution should be a holistic resolution,” he said.
“It will take time to heal the wounds even if the crisis comes to an end, a deal will involve all countries not just one [Saudi Arabia]. We have been trying to engage with all people and Gulf unity will be at the end of this,” said Qatar’s foreign minister.
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