Arab States Recognize Only Kuwait as Mediator in Qatar Diplomatic Row – Bahrain

Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates recognize only Kuwait as a mediator in the diplomatic crisis with Qatar, Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Khalifa said Sunday.

CAIRO (Sputnik) — Foreign ministers of the four Arab countries met in Manama to discuss the dispute with Qatar.

"Apart from Emir of Kuwait Sabah Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, there is no other [mediator]. He has been acting in that capacity since the very beginning, everyone supports him, and we hope that his mission will succeed," the minister said at a press conference after meeting with his Saudi, Emirati and Egyptian counterparts in Bahrain’s capital of Manama.

In June, the four countries cut off diplomatic relations with Doha, accusing it of supporting terrorism and meddling in their internal affairs. Kuwait, acting as a mediator in the crisis, handed over to Doha the ultimatum of the four Arab states with 13 demands, including the requests to sever Qatar’s relations with Iran, close Turkey’s military base in Qatar and shut down the Al Jazeera TV channel, as well as to end support for the Muslim Brotherhood, a terrorist organization banned in Russia.

Qatar refuted all accusations and refused to comply with the demands.

Apart from Kuwait, several other countries offered their services as mediators in the Qatar crisis. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took a trip to the Gulf countries, looking for a way to settle the crisis, and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made a number of shuttle trips among the countries of the region with the same goal.