Saudi Arabia on Saturday suspended any dialogue with Qatar, accusing it of "distorting facts", just after a report of a phone call between the leaders of both countries suggested a breakthrough in the Gulf dispute.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke by telephone with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Friday when they discussed the Gulf dispute, state media from both countries reported earlier.

Saudi Arabia led the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain in cutting ties with Qatar in June, accusing it of bankrolling Islamist extremist groups and of being too close to Iran. Doha denies the accusations.

According to earlier reports, the crown prince welcomed the desire to end the dispute.

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that details would be announced after Saudi Arabia reaches an agreement with UAE and Bahrain and Egypt.

But hopes of a breakthrough were dashed as reports of the call emerged.

On Thursday Donald Trump offered to mediate in the crisis, saying he believed the dispute could be solved "fairly easily." </s> Saudi Arabia says plans to hold talks with Qatar have been suspended, shortly after the emergence of reports that a phone call between Qatar's emir and the Saudi crown prince hinted at a potential breakthrough in a major diplomatic crisis in the Gulf.

The call on Friday between Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was the first official contact between Doha and Riyadh since the start of the crisis more than three months ago.

In the phone call, which was reported by state media from both countries, the two leaders expressed a willingness to discuss an end to the rift.

However, there seems to be a dispute over protocol - with some reports pointing to Qatar News Agency's (QNA) apparent failure to mention that it was Doha that had initiated the call.

READ MORE: Qatar-Gulf crisis - All the latest updates

In its report about the two leaders' call, QNA said that the phone conversation had been coordinated by US President Donald Trump.

In the phone discussion, Sheikh Tamim and Mohammed bin Salman "stressed the need to resolve this crisis" through dialogue "to ensure the unity and stability" of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), said QNA.

The Qatari emir welcomed a proposal by the Saudi crown prince to assign two envoys to resolve the dispute "in a way that does not affect the sovereignty of states", the Qatari news agency added.

'Suspension of dialogue'

On June 5, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain severed relations with Qatar and imposed a blockade against it, accusing Doha of funding "terrorism". Qatar has vehemently rejected the allegations as "baseless".

On June 22, the group issued a 13-point list of demands, including the shutdown of Al Jazeera, limiting ties with Iran, and expelling Turkish troops stationed in the country as a prerequisite to lifting the blockade. Doha rejected all the demands, denouncing them as attempts to infringe Qatar's sovereignty.

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In what appeared to be a possible breakthrough, Saudi state news agency SPA initially issued a statement confirming Friday's phone conversation, saying that Sheikh Tamim had called Mohammed bin Salman and "expressed his desire" to discuss the demands of the four blockading countries.

"The details will be announced later after the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia concludes an understanding with the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Arab Republic of Egypt," it added.

But SPA later issued a second statement, citing an unnamed official at the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs as saying that what QNA had published earlier in its report about the phone call was a "distortion of ... facts".

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announces the suspension of any dialogue or communication with the authority in Qatar until a clear statement is issued clarifying its position in public," the second statement added.

Trump calls GCC leaders

The latest dispute came shortly after the White House issued a statement saying that Trump had spoken separately earlier on Friday with the Qatari and Saudi leaders, as well as UAE Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

In his phone calls, Trump told the Gulf leaders that unity among Washington's Arab allies was essential to promoting regional stability and countering the threat of Iran, the statement added.

"The president also emphasised that all countries must follow through on commitments from the Riyadh Summit to defeat terrorism, cut off funding for terrorist groups, and combat extremist ideology," it said.

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Al Jazeera's Kimberly Halkett said there was "tremendous optimism" in Washington "over the fact that the White House had successfully coordinated the first official contact" between the GCC partners.

Yet, it was what happened after the phone call that "seems to be what has caused so much consternation", said Halkett, reporting from Washington, DC.

"The fact that there is an accusation by Saudi Arabia that Qatar's news agency misrepresented the facts, failing to report - in the eyes of the Saudis - that it was the emir of Qatar who initiated the phone call to Saudi Arabia's crown prince."

Mohammed Cherkaoui, a professor at George Mason University, said he was still optimistic about the call.

"I remain optimistic since there was a major turning point in the conflict itself, and I think now that we're watching the end of the escalation process that started three months ago," Cherkaoui told Al Jazeera.

"The latest news now that there is this resistance - this is normal because conflict escalation comes fast and mediation is very slow by its nature," he added.

Kuwaiti mediation

On Thursday, Trump held talks with the emir of Kuwait, who has been acting as a mediator to defuse the crisis, at the White House.

Speaking at a joint press conference after their meeting, Trump said that he supported Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah's mediation efforts, but added that if that did not manage to resolve the Gulf crisis, he would be "willing to be a mediator".

Later on Thursday, Trump also held a phone conversation with Sheikh Tamim. In the call, the Qatari emir expressed Doha's position on resolving "differences through constructive dialogue that does not affect the sovereignty of states", QNA said.

The GCC is an alliance of six Middle Eastern countries: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman. </s> RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Saturday suspended any dialogue with Qatar , accusing it of distorting facts soon after a phone call between the rulers of both countries offered hope of a breakthrough in the three-month-old Gulf crisis.

Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani , spoke to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to express interest in talks, state media from both sides said, in the first public engagement between the leaders after the US president offered to mediate in the crisis.

Saudi Arabia led the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain in cutting ties with Qatar in June, accusing it of bankrolling Islamist extremist groups and of being too close to regional rival Iran. Doha denies the accusations.

The crown prince "welcomed this desire," the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) initially reported, adding "details will be announced after Saudi Arabia reaches an agreement with UAE and Bahrain and Egypt".

But the prospect of a thaw quickly died down after SPA subsequently accused Qatar's state media of wrongly implying that Saudi Arabia had initiated the outreach.

"The contact was at the request of Qatar and its request for dialogue," SPA said, citing a Saudi foreign ministry official.

"Qatar is not serious in dialogue and continues its previous policies. 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."

The development came after US President Donald Trump on Friday spoke separately with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.

"The President underscored that unity among the United States' Arab partners is essential to promoting regional stability and countering the threat of Iran," the White House said.

"The President also emphasised that all countries must follow through on commitments... to defeat terrorism, cut off funding for terrorist groups, and combat extremist ideology."

When he offered to mediate, Trump said he believed the dispute could be solved "fairly easily".

Despite the deadlock, observers said the telephone call between the Qatari and Saudi rulers itself was a sign that tensions were dissipating.

"The fact that the telephone call took place and the offer of dialogue was made is significant in itself," said Kristian Ulrichsen, a fellow at the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University.

"(It) signals a climb down from the brinkmanship that has characterised so much of the Gulf standoff since June," Ulrichsen told AFP.

But diplomatic efforts led by Kuwait, a key mediator in the crisis backed by Western powers, have so far failed to achieve a breakthrough.

In Washington on Thursday, Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah offered Trump an upbeat assessment of his efforts so far.

But in a statement early Friday, the Saudi-led bloc showed no signs of backing down as it questioned the Kuwaiti emir's statement that Qatar would be willing to accept their 13 demands.

The demands include shutting Doha-based broadcaster Al-Jazeera, closing a Turkish military base in the emirate and downgrading Qatari diplomatic ties with Iran.

The bloc also voiced "regret" about the Kuwaiti ruler's statement "on the success of mediation in stopping military intervention".

Instead, the four Arab states stressed that "the military option has not been and will not be considered" under any circumstances.

Riyadh and Doha are both key allies of the United States, which has sent mixed signals on its policy towards the nations.

Trump, who chose Saudi Arabia for his first overseas visit as president in May, two weeks before the crisis erupted, immediately expressed staunch support for Saudi Arabia.

Some other US officials including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson adopted a more measured tone.

Qatar hosts a huge US air base, home to the headquarters of Centcom -- the regional command which leads operations against the Islamic State jihadist group.

Sheikh Tamim is set to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel for talks on September 15, in what will be his first trip to a western capital since the crisis began. </s> DUBAI, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia on Saturday suspended any dialogue with Qatar, accusing it of "distorting facts", just after a report of a phone call between the leaders of both countries suggested a breakthrough in the Gulf dispute.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke by the telephone with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Friday when they discussed the Gulf dispute, state media from both countries reported earlier.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic and trade links with Qatar on June 5, suspending air and shipping routes with the world's biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas, which is home to the region's biggest U.S. military base.

The nations say Doha supports regional foe Iran and Islamists, charges Qatar's leaders deny. Kuwait has been trying to mediate the dispute.

"During the call, the Emir of Qatar expressed his desire to sit at the dialogue table and discuss the demands of the four countries to ensure the interests of all," Saudi state news agency SPA reported.

"The details will be announced later after the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia concludes an understanding with the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Arab Republic of Egypt," SPA said.

The phone call was the first publicly reported contact between the two leaders since the start of the crisis.

Qatar's state news agency QNA said the phone call was based on coordination of U.S. President Donald Trump who had earlier talked with Sheikh Tamim.

Trump on Thursday said he would be willing to step in and mediate the worst dispute in decades among the U.S.-allied Arab states and Qatar, and said he thinks a deal could come quickly.

Both Qatar's Emir and the Saudi Crown Prince "stressed the need to resolve the crisis by sitting down to the dialogue table to ensure the unity and stability of the GCC countries," QNA reported.

Sheikh Tamim welcomed the proposal of Prince Mohammed during the call "to assign two envoys to resolve controversial issues in a way that does not affect the sovereignty of the states," QNA said.

Saudi Arabia later issued a second statement citing an unnamed official at the ministry of the foreign affairs denying the QNA report.

"What was published on the Qatar News Agency is a continuation of the distortion of the Qatari authority of the facts," SPA reported citing the Saudi official.

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announces the suspension of any dialogue or communication with the authority in Qatar until a clear statement is issued clarifying its position in public." (Reporting by Rania El Gamal; additional reporting by Mohamed El Sherif and Mostafa Hashem in Cairo; Editing by Sandra Maler and Lisa Shumaker) </s> Leaders of Qatar and Saudi Arabia spoke by telephone early on Saturday (9 September) in their first high-level contact since an Arab diplomatic crisis engulfed Doha three months ago, but the terms of what they discussed has created a new dispute.

The phone call came after Kuwait's emir, who so far has been unsuccessful in mediating the dispute, on Thursday met US President Donald Trump, who himself offered to arbitrate.

Both governments acknowledged 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.

After the call, the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said Crown Prince Mohammed would talk to Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates — the other Arab nations boycotting Qatar — and then release details of the conversation.

However, 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 Trump personally spoke with Sheikh Tamim. The White House earlier acknowledged Trump spoke with Sheikh Tamim and Crown Prince Mohammed, as well as Abu Dhabi's powerful crown prince.

The Saudi and Qatari leaders "stressed the need to resolve this crisis by sitting down to the dialogue to ensure the unity and stability" of Gulf nations, the Qatar News Agency 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 or communication with the authority in Qatar shall be suspended until a clear statement explaining its position is made in public."

The Qatar crisis began 5 June, with boycotting nations cutting off Doha's land, sea and air routes over its alleged support of extremists and close ties to Iran. Qatar long has denied funding extremists and recently restored full diplomatic relations with Iran, with whom it shares a massive offshore natural gas field.

That even this small step toward a resolution creates new tension shows how deeply the boycott of Qatar has cut across the typically clubby politics of the Gulf Arab states. </s> DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia on Saturday suspended any dialogue with Qatar, accusing it of “distorting facts”, just after a report of a phone call between the leaders of both countries suggested a breakthrough in the Gulf dispute.

FILE PHOTO - Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gestures during a military parade by Saudi security forces in preparation for the annual Haj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, August 23, 2017. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke by the telephone with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Friday when they discussed the Gulf dispute, state media from both countries reported earlier.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic and trade links with Qatar on June 5, suspending air and shipping routes with the world’s biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas, which is home to the region’s biggest U.S. military base.

The nations say Doha supports regional foe Iran and Islamists, charges Qatar’s leaders deny. Kuwait has been trying to mediate the dispute.

“During the call, the Emir of Qatar expressed his desire to sit at the dialogue table and discuss the demands of the four countries to ensure the interests of all,” Saudi state news agency SPA reported.

“The details will be announced later after the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia concludes an understanding with the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Arab Republic of Egypt,” SPA said.

The phone call was the first publicly reported contact between the two leaders since the start of the crisis.

Qatar’s state news agency QNA said the phone call was based on coordination of U.S. President Donald Trump who had earlier talked with Sheikh Tamim.

Trump on Thursday said he would be willing to step in and mediate the worst dispute in decades among the U.S.-allied Arab states and Qatar, and said he thinks a deal could come quickly.

Both Qatar’s Emir and the Saudi Crown Prince “stressed the need to resolve the crisis by sitting down to the dialogue table to ensure the unity and stability of the GCC countries,” QNA reported.

Sheikh Tamim welcomed the proposal of Prince Mohammed during the call “to assign two envoys to resolve controversial issues in a way that does not affect the sovereignty of the states,” QNA said.

Related Coverage Trump speaks with leaders of Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar

Saudi Arabia later issued a second statement citing an unnamed official at the ministry of the foreign affairs denying the QNA report.

“What was published on the Qatar News Agency is a continuation of the distortion of the Qatari authority of the facts,” SPA reported citing the Saudi official.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announces the suspension of any dialogue or communication with the authority in Qatar until a clear statement is issued clarifying its position in public.” </s> DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Leaders in Qatar and Saudi Arabia spoke by telephone early 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.

That even this small step toward a resolution creates new tension shows how deeply the boycott of Qatar has cut across the typically clubby politics of the Gulf Arab states.

The call also comes after Kuwait's emir, who so far has been unsuccessful in mediating the dispute, met Thursday in the White House with President Donald Trump, who himself offered to arbitrate.

Both governments acknowledged a 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.

After the call, the state-run Saudi Press Agency said Crown Prince Mohammed would talk to Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates — 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 Trump personally spoke with Sheikh Tamim. The White House earlier acknowledged Trump spoke with Sheikh Tamim and Crown Prince Mohammed, as well as Abu Dhabi's powerful crown prince.

The Saudi and Qatari leaders "stressed the need to resolve this crisis by sitting down to the dialogue to ensure the unity and stability" of Gulf nations, the Qatar News Agency 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 or communication with the authority in Qatar shall be suspended until a clear statement explaining its position is made in public."

The Qatar crisis began June 5, with boycotting nations cutting off Doha's land, sea and air routes over its alleged support of extremists and close ties to Iran. Qatar long has denied funding extremists and recently restored full diplomatic relations with Iran, with whom it shares a massive offshore natural gas field. </s> Qatari and Saudi leaders agree to assign envoys to resolve the diplomatic dispute, state media in both countries say.

The emir of Qatar and Saudi Arabia's crown prince have held a phone conversation to discuss a major diplomatic crisis in the Gulf, according to state media from both countries.

The call on Friday between by the Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, is believed to be the first official contact between the two countries since the beginning of the crisis more than three months ago.

The call was held on the basis of coordination with US President Donald Trump, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported in the early hours of Saturday.

In the phone call, the two leaders "stressed the need to resolve this crisis" through dialogue "to ensure the unity and stability" of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), said QNA.

The Qatari emir welcomed a proposal by the Saudi crown prince to assign two envoys to resolve the dispute in a way that respects the sovereignty of states, QNA added.

On June 5, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain severed relations with Qatar and imposed a blockade against, accusing Doha of funding "terrorism". Qatar has vehemently rejected the allegations as "baseless".

Saudi state news agency SPA also confirmed the phone call, adding the Qatar's emir "expressed his desire" to discuss the demands of the four blockading countries.

"The details will be announced later after the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia concludes an understanding with the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Arab Republic of Egypt," it added.

On June 22, the group issued a 13-point list of demands, including the shutdown of Al Jazeera, limiting ties with Iran, and expelling Turkish troops stationed in the country as a prerequisite to lifting the blockade.

Doha rejected all the demands, denouncing them as attempts to infringe Qatar's sovereignty. </s> Saudi Arabia says it has suspended any dialogue with Qatar, accusing it of “distorting facts,” just after reports that Saudi and Qatari leaders had spoken by phone and agreed to talks.

Saudi Arabia’s Saudi Press Agency said late Friday that a Qatari report about a phone call between Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “did not have any relevance to the truth.”

Qatari sources reported the two men agreed by telephone to appoint envoys for possible talks to work out the differences between Qatar and its neighbors.

According to the Saudi news agency, Qatar initiated the phone call and asked for dialogue with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. All of those governments cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar in June, alleging Qatar supports extremists and has ties to Iran.

After Friday’s phone call and the disputed report, Saudi news said, “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia declares that any dialogue or communication with the authority in Qatar shall be suspended until a clear statement explaining its position is made in public and that its public statements are in conformity with its obligations.”

Also Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump made telephone calls to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates a day after saying he is willing to help ease the dispute between Qatar and its neighbors.

At a joint news conference with Kuwait’s Emir Sabah al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah, the president said he would be willing to mediate talks.

“I would be willing to do so, and I think you’d have a deal worked out very quickly,” Trump said. “I think it’s something that’s going to get solved fairly easily.”

Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates cut all ties with Qatar after accusing it of having ties with Shiite Iran and fundamentalist Islamist groups.

The Arab nations have made several demands of Qatar, and Kuwait has been trying to mediate the dispute.

Sheikh Sabah said he had received a letter from Qatar that expressed willingness to discuss a list of 13 demands from its neighbors. He expressed hope that “a great part of them will be resolved.”

Saudi Arabia and Qatar are both important allies of the U.S. in the restive region. Qatar is home to the region’s biggest U.S. military base.
Saudi Arabia suspends any dialogue with Qatar, accusing it of “distorting facts” in its reporting of yesterday's phone call between the leaders of both countries which suggested a breakthrough in the Gulf dispute was possible.