Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah met his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Wednesday night amid the diplomatic rift between Doha and other powerful Gulf Arab countries. The two held talks regarding the prevalent situation, with Kuwait attempting to mediate an end to the crisis, reported news agency AP. A Saudi-led alliance has severed ties with energy-rich Qatar for supporting terrorism and maintaining ties with Iran. He previously travelled to Saudi Arabia to meet King Salman.
As part of his efforts to revive diplomatic ties between the countries, Kuwait’s Emir also travelled to Dubai earlier this week, where he met Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He held talks with Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum as well, who also serves as Prime Minsiter and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The coalition of countries that have cut out Qatar includes Saudi, Bahrain, the UAE, Abu Dhabi, Egypt and Yemen.
The rift between Qatar and its neighbours intensified earlier this week after Doha alleged its state-run news agency was hacked and ‘false’ statements by its Emir were published on Iran and Israel. The comments were quickly picked up by the Saudi and Emirati media angering Qatar. An initial investigation, conducted by Qatar, in connection with this reveals Qatar News Agency was hacked in April with “high techniques and innovative methods”, reported AP. The Qatari Foreign Ministry did not say who was behind the hacking, but thanked the FBI and British National Commission for Combating Crime for helping its investigation.
Meanwhile, newly-elected French President Emmanual Macron has urged leaders to resolve their differences by engaging in dialogue, reported AFP. Macron reportedly spoke to the Qatari ruler, Saudi King and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, inviting all parties to ‘pursue dialogue’. He is expected to continue his mediation in the coming days.
