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Breakthrough in Gulf dispute as Saudi-Qatar borders reopen

Riyadh - 'We’ve had a breakthrough in the Gulf Cooperation Council rift,' said a Trump administration official.

A breakthrough has been reached in Gulf states’ three-year-old dispute with Qatar and an agreement to end their rift is to be signed in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, a senior Trump administration official said.

“We’ve had a breakthrough in the Gulf Cooperation Council rift,” said the official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, assigned to work on the dispute by US President Donald Trump, helped negotiate the deal and was working the phones on it until the wee hours of Monday morning, the official said.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have boycotted Qatar since mid-2017 after it was found to be supporting terrorism.

Kushner, joined by Middle East envoy Avi Berkowitz and Brian Hook, a special State Department adviser, were flying to the Saudi Arabian city of Al Ula to attend the ceremony, the official said.

Gulf Arab leaders are expected to gather in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) annual summit that is expected to announce a deal towards ending the rift.

“At the signing on the 5th, leadership from the GCC plus Egypt will be coming together to sign an agreement that will end the blockade,” the official said.

“It’s just a massive breakthrough,” the official said. “The blockade will be lifted. It will allow for travel amongst the countries as well as goods. It will lead to more stability in the region.”

Confirming the breakthrough, Kuwait’s foreign ministry also announced that Saudi Arabia will open its air and land borders in the first steps toward ending the Gulf crisis. Kuwait has been mediating between Qatar and the Arab states.

“An agreement has been reached to open airspace and land and sea borders between Saudi Arabia and Qatar as of this evening,” Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Ahmad Nasser Al Sabah said on Kuwait TV ahead of a Gulf Arab summit in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Kuwait’s foreign minister said a declaration would be signed at the summit.