Leaders in Qatar and Saudi Arabia spoke by telephone early on Saturday in their first high-level contact since an Arab diplomatic crisis engulfed Doha three months ago, but now even terms of what they discussed have created a new dispute.
After the call between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, next in line to the kingdom’s throne, and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the state-run Saudi Press Agency said Crown Prince Mohammed would talk to Bahrain, Egypt and the U.A.E the other Arab nations boycotting Qatar and then release details.
The state-run Qatar News Agency immediately published details of the call, saying that Riyadh and Doha had agreed to send two envoys to discuss the dispute. Qatar said that call came after Mr. Trump personally spoke with Sheikh Tamim. The White House earlier acknowledged Mr. Trump spoke with Sheikh Tamim and Crown Prince Mohammed.
The Saudi and Qatari leaders “stressed the need to resolve this crisis through dialogue to ensure the unity and stability” of Gulf nations, the QNA account read. Saudi Arabia reacted angrily to the Qatari statement, issuing a second message saying Doha’s statement did not have “any relevance to truth.”
“This proves that the authority in Qatar is not serious in dialogue and continues its previous policies,” the SPA said. “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia declares that any dialogue with Qatar shall be suspended until a clear statement explaining its position is made in public.”