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Agencies
Washington
US President Donald Trump has offered to mediate in the three-month diplomatic dispute between Qatar and its neighbours, saying"we will be most successful (against terrorism) with a united" Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Speaking at a joint news conference with Kuwait's Emir HH Sheikh Sabah al Ahmad al Jaber al Sabah in Washington on Thursday, Trump said he supported the Kuwaiti mediation efforts but if that did not manage to resolve the Gulf crisis, he would be"willing to be a mediator".
"If I can help mediate between Qatar and, in particular, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, I would be willing to do so. I think you would have a deal worked out very quickly," Trump said, adding that he would offer to host the talks"right here in the White House".
"We call on our GCC and Egyptian allies to focus on our commitments at that Saudi Arabia summit to continue our joint efforts to drive out and defeat terrorists. Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt are all essential US partners in this effort. We have great relationships with all of them right now, maybe better than we've ever had. We will be most successful with a united GCC," Trump said.
Speaking at the White House press conference, the Kuwait Emir said he had received a letter from Doha saying that Qatar was ready to discuss the list of demands with the quartet, without, however, negotiating anything that would undermine its sovereignty.
"We know that not all of these 13 demands are acceptable," the Kuwait Emir said, referring specifically to issues that affected Qatari sovereignty.
"A great part of them will be resolved. I am optimistic that the solution will come in the very near future. The hope has not ended yet."
"What is important is that we have stopped any military action," the Kuwait Emir said, adding that"It is not in the interest of Qatar to remain outside the flock, rather it should join its brothers in the GCC."
Kuwait has been acting as a mediator since June 5, when the Saudi-led bloc severed relations with Qatar and imposed the blockade.
Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera's senior political analyst, described what was said by the two leaders at the press conference as a"positive" development in the diplomatic crisis.
"The US president was quite restrained ” he didn't use any inflammatory language and didn't escalate his declarations against any particular country," Bishara said.
"Clearly, he didn't make a single negative statement in this press conference, unlike previous conferences, which means he is either restraining himself, or he has actually been convinced otherwise that they all need to sit down and figure it out because, at the end of the day, this is a political problem that requires a political solution."
Bishara said Trump's offer to act as a mediator also suggested a change in the US president's approach to the crisis.
