Saudi FM says 'final agreement' in Qatar crisis within reach

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- Saudi Arabia's foreign minister on Friday expressed optimism the yearslong boycott of Qatar by Arab nations, including the kingdom, may be nearing an end, coming just hours after mediator Kuwait described ongoing talks over the crisis as "fruitful."

However, the other three nations who are boycotting Qatar -- Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- did not immediately acknowledge this burst of optimism. Over a year ago, a similar hope for an end to the dispute quickly faded.

However, a statement Friday by Kuwait's foreign minister marked the first time officials there have made a special televised communique on the crisis. And the Saudi acknowledgment appeared to signal something was changing.

The boycott has torn apart the typically clubby Gulf Cooperation Council, a six-nation group comprised of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Qatar, an energy-rich nation that will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, has seen its state-run Qatar Airways blocked from the boycotting nations' airspace and its only land border to Saudi Arabia shut over the crisis.

Speaking to Italy's annual Mediterranean Dialogues, Prince Faisal bin Farhan said: "We've made significant progress in the last few days."

"We hope that this progress can lead to a final agreement which looks in reach, and I can say that I am somewhat optimistic that we are close to finalizing an agreement between all the nations in the dispute to come to a resolution that we think will be satisfactory to all," the prince said.

That came just after Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al Mohammad Al Sabah, Kuwait's foreign minister, gave a brief statement as Kuwaiti state television began its 4 p.m. newscast. He said that discussions had been ongoing between parties under Kuwait's new ruling emir, Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, and President Donald Trump over the crisis.

"Fruitful discussions have taken place in the past period, where all parties affirmed their keenness on Gulf and Arab solidarity and stability and on reaching a final agreement that achieves the aspired permanent solidarity between their countries," Sheikh Ahmed said, without elaborating.

Sheikh Ahmed also thanked Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and one of his senior advisers. Kushner and other American officials just travelled to Saudi Arabia and Qatar over the crisis in the waning days of the Trump administration.

Qatar's foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, immediately wrote on Twitter that the Kuwaiti statement was an "imperative step towards resolving the GCC crisis."

"We express our gratitude to the State of Kuwait for their mediation & the United States for their efforts," Sheikh Mohammed wrote. "The interest and security of the people of the Gulf & the region remain our top priority."

Oman, which also tried to mediate the dispute, welcomed the announcement in a statement carried by state television.

Speaking to the Mediterranean Dialogues earlier in the day, Sheikh Mohammed said "this needless crisis needs to come to an end."

"There are some movements that we hope that this will put an end to this crisis," he said. "We believe actually that Gulf unity is very important for the security of the region."

Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE cut ties to Qatar on June 5, 2017, just after a summit in Saudi Arabia in which Gulf leaders met with Trump. They say the crisis stems from Qatar's support for extremist groups in the region, charges denied by Doha. Qatar has backed Islamists in the Mideast, something strongly opposed by the four Arab states.

The four nations also have pointed to Qatar's close relationship with Iran, with which it shares a massive offshore gas field that provides the peninsular nation its wealth. Qatar restored full diplomatic ties to Iran amid the dispute. Sheikh Mohammed defended Qatar's ties to both Iran and Turkey, which has a small military base in Doha, during his remarks.

Qatar is a valued partner of the U.S. Some 10,000 American troops are hosted at Qatar's Al-Udeid Air Base, which also serves as the forward headquarters of the U.S. military's Central Command.