Qatar FM says talks with Saudi Arabia break 'stalemate'
The Qatari foreign minister denied Doha had direct ties with the Muslim Brotherhood
DOHA (AFP) – Qatar’s foreign minister has voiced optimism over ending a bitter rift with Saudi Arabia, saying early talks had broken a "stalemate" but Doha was unwilling to alter ties with Turkey as a pre-condition.
Saudi Arabia along with its allies the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut all diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar in June 2017.
The four nations accused Doha of backing radical Islamists, including the Muslim Brotherhood, and seeking closer ties with Saudi arch rival Tehran -- allegations Qatar vehemently denies.
"There (is) some progress... We have broken the stalemate of non-communication to starting communication with the Saudis," Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told CNN in an interview broadcast on Sunday.
"Honestly, from our perspective in Qatar, we want to understand the grievances. We want to study them and to assess them and to look at the solutions that can safeguard us in the future from any other potential crisis."
The Saudi-led bloc made 13 key demands to resolve the dispute, including shutting down broadcaster Al Jazeera, downgrading ties with Iran and closing a Turkish military base on its territory.
The Qatari foreign minister denied Doha had direct ties with the Brotherhood, branded by several countries -- including Saudi Arabia -- as a terrorist organisation.
He added that Qatar was unwilling to alter its relationship with Turkey, which he said helped Doha weather the two-and-a-half-year crisis.
"Any country that opened up for us and helped us during our crisis, we will remain grateful (to) them... we will never turn our back (on) them," he said.
Last week, Qatar’s emir skipped a Gulf summit in the Saudi capital billed as a potential "reconciliation conference", but leaders’ calls for integration offered signs of a thaw between Doha and Riyadh.
In a sign of the changing mood, the Doha delegation led by Qatar’s prime minister received a warm welcome in Riyadh.
Also offering hope is recent "sports diplomacy", which saw football teams from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain travel to Qatar for the Gulf Cup despite earlier indications that they would boycott the tournament.
But two sources familiar with the negotiations, including an Arab diplomat, have told AFP that hardliners in Abu Dhabi -- Riyadh’s principal ally -- are opposed to a restoration of ties.
The rift has seen the two sides trade barbs on everything from access to the Muslim holy city of Mecca to alleged Twitter hacking.
It has also seen families divided, while Qatari businesses face increased costs as well as complicated regional travel.
