Progress in resolving Gulf Arab rift could come within weeks, U.S. official says - Reuters

Progress in resolving Gulf Arab rift could come within weeks, U.S. official says - Reuters:

There could be some progress within weeks in resolving a three year-long rift between Gulf Arab states, a senior U.S. State Department official said on Wednesday, citing signs of “flexibility” in negotiations.

David Schenker, the department’s top diplomat for the Middle East, was quick to urge caution however, because there hasn’t been any fundamental shift in talks that would quickly lead to a resolution.

The dispute dates from 2017 when the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt imposed a boycott on Qatar, severing diplomatic and transport ties and accusing it of supporting terrorism. Qatar denies allegations of supporting terrorism.

“I don’t want to get into the whole diplomacy in it but there is some movement. I would like to say that it’s going to be a matter of weeks,” Schenker told a virtual event by the Washington-based Brookings Institute.