Saudi Arabia reopens Qatar border for hajj pilgrims

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia— Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday that it is reopening its border with Qatar to allow Qataris to attend the hajj, despite a monthslong rift between Doha and four Arab countries led by Riyadh that prompted both sides to trade accusations of politicizing the pilgrimage.

The decision came after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a surprise meeting with a Qatari royal family member whose branch of the family was ousted in a palace coup in 1972.

Saudi state media broke the news overnight. Qatar did not officially comment on the deal until its foreign minister was pressed on Thursday by reporters during a briefing in Sweden, some 12 hours later.

Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said he welcomed the Saudi decision, but that the measures must also include a full lifting of the blockade.

The way in which the deal was reached and announced out of Saudi Arabia raised questions about the level of the Qatari government's involvement. Qatari officials did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment.

The official Saudi Press Agency reported that Qatari pilgrims will be allowed to enter the kingdom by land and would then be flown onward from two Saudi airports in Dammam and al-Ahsa at the king's expense. The king also ordered that aircraft from the country's flagship carrier be dispatched to Qatar's capital, Doha, to fly Qatari pilgrims to the Red Sea city of Jiddah— nearest to Mecca—and to host them at his expense for the hajj.