Saudi Crown Prince arrives in Kuwait for talks with Qatar focus

The Qatar dispute is expected to be on the agenda

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is pressing forward with the national transformation of the kingdom. Reuters 

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Kuwait on Saturday afternoon for talks that were expected to focus on Kuwaiti mediation efforts to resolve the Qatar dispute.

The visit will be "another important milestone in the long and historic relations", Kuwaiti Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Thamer Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah said, ahead of the trip.

Although he did not mention Qatar, the ambassador said the meetings would "touch on issues of mutual interest as well as development within the region".

A Gulf Arab official confirmed to Reuters that the Qatar crisis would be on the agenda.

The Saudi crown prince will meet Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, the Kuwaiti News Agency said.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar last year over its support of extremist groups.

Doha denies the accusations. Kuwait has led mediation efforts in the crisis, which so far have made little tangible progress.

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo brought the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Qatar together on Friday for the first time since their diplomatic feud, but there was no sign of a let-up in tensions between the Gulf powerhouses.

At the start of a meeting with counterparts from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) along with allies Egypt and Jordan, Mr Pompeo said that those present had "a shared interest in a wide range of security issues",

But speaking to reporters later, Qatar's foreign minister said there had been "no progress" in resolving the dispute with Saudi Arabia.

He insisted that the gas-rich state remained "open to dialogue" with the Saudis and its allies.

"We are grateful for the efforts president Donald Trump makes to try solving this crisis but the responses from the blockade countries are not positive," said Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.