Kuwait’s Emir arrives in Qatar over GCC diplomatic rift

June 7, 2017

Seeking to mediate a solution to the Gulf crisis, Sheikh Sabah arrives in Doha after trips to Saudi Arabia and UAE.

Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah has arrived in Qatar after visits to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) aimed at resolving a diplomatic rift in the Gulf.

Sheikh Sabah was received in the capital Doha on Wednesday evening by Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Qatar’s ambassador to US discusses diplomatic crisis

Earlier on Wednesday, Kuwait’s leader held talks in UAE’s Dubai with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

No details have emerged about their discussions.

Also on Wednesday, Anwar Gargash, the foreign minister of the UAE, said “there’s nothing to negotiate” with Qatar, signaling Arab countries trying to isolate Doha will not back down.

Sheikh Sabah’s UAE trip came after meeting on Tuesday with Saudi King Salman in Jeddah, but their dialogue was also not made public.

Saudi Arabia and allies including the United Arad Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt on Monday cut diplomatic ties with fellow GCC state Qatar over claims Doha supports “extremism”.

Qatar strongly denies the allegations.

The Saudi-led alliance also imposed economic blockade over Qatar which included closing the only land border with Qatar.

On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said that Qatar is a “brother state” and that punitive steps against it were a well-intentioned effort to stop its support for “extremism”.

Speaking in Germany, Adel al-Jubeir said that it was “with great pain” that the measures against Qatar were taken.

“We see Qatar as a brother state, as a partner,” he told a joint press conference with German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel.

Kuwait and Oman, also GCC members, did not join their neighbours in severing ties with Qatar.

The Kuwaiti emir played a pivotal role in mediating a compromise in a 2014 diplomatic dispute between Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf states.

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Source: News agencies