TALKS WITH QATAR

Iran. Doha denies the accusations.

The crown prince “welcomed this desire”, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) initially reported, adding that “details will be announced after Saudi Arabia reaches an agreement with UAE and Bahrain and Egypt”.

But the prospect of a thaw died down after SPA subsequently accused Qatar’s state media of wrongly implying that Saudi Arabia had initiated the outreach.

“The contact was at the request of Qatar and its request for dialogue,” SPA said, citing a Saudi Foreign Ministry official.

“Qatar is not serious in dialogue and continues its previous policies. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia declares that any dialogue with Qatar shall be suspended until a clear statement explaining its position is made in public.”

The development came after US President Donald Trump spoke separately on Friday with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.

“The president underscored that unity among the US’s Arab partners is essential to promoting regional stability and countering the threat of Iran,” the White House said.

“The president also emphasised that all countries must follow through on commitments... to defeat terrorism, cut off funding for terrorist groups, and combat extremist ideology.”

When he offered to mediate, Trump said he believed the dispute could be solved “fairly easily”.

Despite the deadlock, observers said the telephone call between the Qatari and Saudi rulers itself was a sign that tensions were dissipating. AFP