13 July 2017, 01:30 GMT
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Resolving the dispute between Qatar and the Arab States will take a long time, however, subtle progress has been made, US Department of State spokesperson Heather Nauert said during a press conference on Thursday.
"We are subtly optimistic about this, but we are also realistic in that this could take a lot of time," Nauert stated. "These have been long, simmering tensions and that, certainly, hasn’t changed."
Nauert added that State Secretary Rex Tillerson’s recent meeting with both sides of the dispute is a sign of subtle progress.
The United States is anticipating Qatar and the four Arab States will eventually be willing to meet and reach an agreement, Nauert stated.
On June 5, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut off relations with Qatar and imposed travel restrictions on the country.
