WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump spoke with Saudi King Salman on Wednesday and urged “all the parties in the Qatar dispute” to find a diplomatic resolution to end a crisis that has embroiled several Gulf countries, the White House said in a statement.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE, and Egypt cut ties with Qatar on June 5 – accusing it of backing extremism and fostering ties with Iran – triggering the biggest political crisis in the Gulf for several years.
Doha denies the claims and accuses the other countries of an attack on its sovereignty.
The Saudi-led countries have also imposed sanctions including restrictions on Qatari aircraft using their airspace.
However, Iran and Turkey have come to Qatar’s aid, sending aid supplies.
On August 15, Qatar’s foreign minister said it will take a “lot of time” to rebuild any trust between sparring Gulf countries because of the region’s continuing diplomatic crisis.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said, “Such a crisis is not needed in our region, we have enough problems and enough conflict”.
“A region like the Gulf region, which was considered the most stable region in the Arab world is now destabilised because… of a crisis without a solid foundation.”
However, he added that diplomatic efforts led by regional mediator Kuwait were continuing.
“We have received a letter from the Emir of Kuwait a few days ago. And this letter is a continuous effort… to encourage the parties to engage in dialogue.”
