Kuwait says progress made in resolving Saudi-led boycott of Qatar

Sheikh Ahmad Nasser says all sides expressed their keenness to reach a final agreement

DUBAI:

The foreign minister of Kuwait said on Friday that progress had been made in resolving a row that has seen Saudi Arabia and its allies boycott Qatar since mid-2017.

“Fruitful discussion have taken place recently in which all sides expressed their keenness ... to reach a final agreement,” Sheikh Ahmad Nasser al-Sabah said in a statement read out on Kuwait TV, thanking White House senior adviser Jared Kushner for his “recent efforts”.

Earlier in the day, Qatar’s foreign minister said there has been movement on resolving a bitter diplomatic dispute among the Gulf countries but he could not predict whether a breakthrough was imminent or would fully resolve the matter.

The United States and Kuwait have worked to end a row after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut 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,” Sheikh Mohammed, told the “Mediterranean Dialogues” online conference, speaking by videolink.

“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.”

The other four nations accuse Doha of supporting terrorism. Qatar, which hosts the region’s largest US military base, denies the charges and says the boycott aims to undermine its sovereignty