Paris begins mediation in Qatar crisis

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in Doha on Saturday that Paris wants to assist mediation on the crisis between Qatar and four other Arab states.

"France should be a facilitator in the mediation", Le Drian told reporters following talks with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

Le Drian flew in to Qatar at the start of a Gulf tour aimed at helping defuse the crisis pitting Qatar against Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt.

"France is very concerned by the sudden deterioration in relations between Qatar and many of its neighbours," said Le Drian, who also met with the Amir of Qatar.

"France is talking to all these countries to help in the search for a solution," he said, calling for "dialogue and calm" between the Arab states concerned.

Le Drian is to travel on to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE, following a four-day mediation mission by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that ended on Thursday without any announcement of progress towards defusing mounting tensions in the Gulf.

Qatar's foreign minister welcomed France's support for mediation. "We look forward to France's support of the Kuwaiti mediation and American efforts," he said.

Source: Khaleej Times