Morocco king hails Kuwait mediation efforts amid crisis

By Ahmed al-Masri

DOHA, Qatar (AA) - Moroccan King Mohammed VI has expressed his “full support” for ongoing efforts by Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah to resolve the crisis now plaguing inter-Arab relations.

The assertion came in a verbal message conveyed by Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita to Sheikh Sabah, who received Bourita in Kuwait City on Tuesday.

“In his message, the Moroccan king stressed the importance of containing the Gulf crisis and resolving differences through dialogue between brotherly countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council," Kuwait’s official news agency reported.

On Tuesday, Bourita arrived in Kuwait from Abu Dhabi as part of ongoing Moroccan efforts aimed at “encouraging comprehensive and honest dialogue” between countries involved in the dispute.

One day earlier, Morocco’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Bourita had delivered a “verbal message” from King Mohammed VI to Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

The ministry did not provide any further details.

On Sunday, the Moroccan king called on all parties to the Arab diplomatic Gulf crisis to “exercise restraint” and “show wisdom with a view to easing tensions and resolving the crisis”.

The following day, Morocco sent a number of planes bearing humanitarian aid -- including food -- to embattled Qatar.

On June 5, five Arab countries -- Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Yemen -- abruptly cut diplomatic relations with Qatar, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism.

Mauritania followed suit shortly afterward, while Jordan downgraded its diplomatic relations with Doha.

Saudi Arabia has also sealed its land border with Qatar, geographically isolating the tiny Gulf state.

Qatar, for its part, strenuously denies accusations that it is a supporter of terrorism, calling recent moves to diplomatically isolate it as “unjustified”.