Kuwait Emir visits Qatar after UAE, Saudi talks

The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, attends a Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 21, 2017. PHOTO: EPA

DUBAI (AFP) - Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah arrived in Qatar on Wednesday (June 7) after talks with Saudi and Emirati leaders aimed at resolving a Gulf diplomatic crisis.

The official KUNA news agency said the Emir was received in Doha by Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

Earlier in the day, Sheikh Sabah held talks with Emirati leaders, after meeting on Tuesday with Saudi King Salman in Jeddah over the crisis facing the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council.

Saudi Arabia and allies including the UAE, 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 the small gas-rich state which included cutting off the only land exit for Qatar.

They called on Qatar to change its policies and to halt its alleged support to extremist groups including the Muslim Brotherhood and the Palestinian Hamas movement.

Kuwait, also a GCC member, did not join its 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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