Qatar ready for mediation to ease Gulf diplomatic crisis

Qatar is ready for mediation efforts after four Arab countries severed diplomatic and consular ties with it, foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said in a statement carried on the ministry’s website.

Despite the “unilateral” and “unprecedented” move by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Bahrain to cut ties, Al-Thani said there would be no retaliatory measures from Qatar.

"For us, the strategic choice of the State of Qatar is to solve any dispute through dialogue," he added, speaking in an interview with Al Jazeera.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani was supposed to address the country’s citizens regarding recent developments, he said.

The speech, however, was postponed after the Qatari ruler received a phone call from Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, in order to allow Kuwait “the space to move and make contacts with the conflict parties and try to contain the issue,” Al-Thani said.

The foreign minister also noted that given the many conflicts in the wider Arab world, the region needs more unity.

“We are surprised that at such a time, a GCC country is being attacked by other GCC countries," he said.

"There are question marks over the future of GCC because internal ties in the council should be based on solidarity and cooperation,” Al-Thani added, noting that any interference in Qatar’s internal affairs is “unacceptable.”

Meanwhile, Kuwait said on Monday that it was keen to end the region’s diplomatic crisis through direct dialogue.

Kuwait’s ruler urged his Qatari counterpart in a phone call to “exercise self-restraint and refrain from steps that would escalate the situation,” according to a statement on the official Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed diplomatic relations with Qatar on Monday, accusing the country of supporting terrorist groups.

Other countries, including Yemen, later joined the four-nation bloc in cutting ties with Qatar.

Relations between Qatar and its GCC neighbors have been tense ever since state-run Qatar News Agency ran comments attributed to Qatari ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, which were said to be critical of Gulf allies and called for easing tensions with Iran.

Qatar later claimed the statements were fake and a result of the government website being hacked.