Washington and Paris welcome the efforts to solve the Gulf crisis

The US State Department praised the Kuwaiti mediation efforts to resolve the Gulf crisis, and Qatar’s commitment and openness to that. The French Foreign Ministry also expressed its hope to reach a permanent solution to the crisis that has made progress in terms of reconciliation.

During a press briefing to the media by phone, Timothy Linder King, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Gulf Affairs, said Qatar had always been open to resolving the dispute, and was open to the proposals put forward by Washington.

He added that Qatar was very open and receptive to the Kuwaiti mediation, explaining that Qatar's commitment pleased his country, and that it viewed that commitment as very consistent.

Linder King stressed the need for the Gulf Cooperation Council to unite against regional threats, stressing that the differences harm the common interests between his country and the GCC countries.

He added that the United States views the Gulf Cooperation Council as extremely important to regional stability, and opens up more opportunities for economic development, security and other areas of cooperation.

The American official also stressed that Qatar is a very strong ally of the United States and a friendly country, and that it is a strong partner for his country in the fight against terrorism.

He expressed the gratitude of the United States to Qatar for the role it played in bridging the gap between the Afghan parties.

On the other hand, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said, after his meeting with Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani in Doha, that the talks dealt with efforts to reach a permanent solution to the crisis between the Gulf Cooperation Council states.

He added during a press conference that "France wishes to reconcile and reach a permanent solution to the crisis soon."

A week ago, Kuwaiti Minister of Foreign Affairs and Information Ahmed Nasser Al-Muhammad Al-Sabah announced "fruitful talks" as part of the mediation efforts aimed at ending the Gulf crisis that has continued since June 2017.