Pakistan welcomes 'progress' in efforts to resolve rift in Gulf region

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Monday it welcomed the ‘reported progress’ towards the resolution of the rift in the Gulf region, days after Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said a resolution to a long-standing dispute with Qatar seemed “within reach.” 
The United States and Kuwait have worked to end the dispute, during which Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have imposed a diplomatic, trade and travel embargo on Qatar since mid-2017.
“We particularly appreciate Kuwait's sincere efforts for helping to bridge differences and promoting reconciliation among the countries in the dispute,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement. “Pakistan hopes that enhanced confidence and understanding among these countries will foster durable peace and prosperity in the region.”
US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser Jared Kushner had held talks in Doha on Wednesday following a visit to Saudi Arabia.
“We have made significant progress in the last few days thanks to the continuing efforts of Kuwait but also thanks to strong support from President Trump,” Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud told a Rome conference via videolink. “We hope this progress can lead to a final agreement which looks within reach and I can say I am somewhat optimistic that we are close to finalizing an agreement between all the nations in the dispute.”
Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah on Friday welcomed the developments, state-run news agency KUNA said.
It quoted him as saying “this agreement has shown that all concerned parties are keen on retaining the pan-Gulf and the pan-Arab solidarity, unity, and stability.”
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaking remotely at a Bahrain summit on Friday, said the United States was “very hopeful” that the dispute would be resolved.