Kuwaiti emir sets out for Saudi Arabia for talks

Ahmed al-Masri

DOHA, Qatar (AA) - Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al Sabah on Monday set out for Saudi Arabia in hopes of helping to mediate the ongoing crisis in inter-Arab relations, Kuwait’s official KUNA news agency has reported.

The emir is being accompanied on his “brotherly visit” by a delegation of senior Kuwaiti officials, according to a statement issued by Kuwait’s royal court and quoted by KUNA.

The news agency provided no further details regarding the emir’s visit, but many observers believe it will focus largely on an upcoming Kuwait-hosted Arab Summit slated for December.

In the event that the summit is successfully convened, this would suggest that progress had been made in resolving the months-long political crisis between Qatar and a four-nation Arab bloc led by Riyadh.

In June, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain severed diplomatic and commercial ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorist groups in the region.

The four states have said Doha must meet a long list of demands or face additional sanctions.

Qatar, however, has adamantly refused to comply, denying the accusations against it and describing the embargo by its fellow Arab states as a violation of international law.