LONDON, June 16 (KUNA) -- British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson held separate talks in London Friday with three Arab Gulf Foreign Ministers to discuss the dispute between their countries and Qatar.
Johnson met with Bahrain's Sheikh Khaled Al-Khalifa, Saudi Arabia's Adel Al-Jubair and UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gergash, the foreign office said in a statement.
Johnson called on importance of de-escalation and to find a rapid solution to the dispute through mediation and dialogue, it said.
Johnson called last Tuesday Kuwait's First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, and thanked him on mediation efforts carried out by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah towards ending the dispute.
Meanwhile, Alistair Burt, Minister responsible for the Middle East and North Africa, commended Kuwait's mediation.
Burt, in a brief statement to KUNA and Kuwait TV at his office yesterday, said the British government supported the mediation that aimed at de-escalating the dispute.
His Highness the Amir of Kuwait had pledged to continue his mediation efforts to reconcile GCC member states.
He said he would not be hampered by fatigue or any difficulties in his quest to re-establish bonds and tackle differences among the six GCC States.
"This is a duty that I will not abandon," he stressed.
His Highness the Amir, in the efforts to reconcile the GCC countries, had visited Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, holding talks with the top leaders that drew much applause from various quarters, including from the US, European Union and Arab League.
Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled, in remarks few days ago, stressed the "inevitability" of resolving the rift.
He underlined that Kuwait would "not abandon" these efforts aimed at "bridging the gap and reaching a solution to the root causes of the dispute." Qatari officials are ready to consider the concerns of their neighbours and respond to these efforts in order to achieve security and stability, the minister said. (end) kd.bs