DUBAI: Saudi Arabia´s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a phone call on Friday from Qatar´s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, state media from both countries reported, in what could be a breakthrough in the dispute between Doha and neighboring Arab states.

"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 reported.

Later, Saudi Arabia declared any dialogue or communication with Qatar shall be suspended. Saudi Arabia denies Qatar news agency´s report, says phone call between Saudi Crown Prince and Qatar´s emir was based on Doha request for dialogue with the four countries on their demands, Saudi news agency SPA reported. </s> Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a phone call on Friday from Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, state media from both countries reported, in what could be a breakthrough in the dispute between Doha and neighbouring Arab states.

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a phone call on Friday from Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, state media from both countries reported, in what could be a breakthrough in the dispute between Doha and neighbouring Arab states.

"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 reported. </s> Leaders in Qatar and Saudi Arabia have had their first high-level contact since a diplomatic crisis engulfing Doha began three months ago, but the terms of what was discussed are now in dispute.

Both governments acknowledged early Saturday that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The state-run Qatar News Agency then published an account of the call saying the two countries agreed to send envoys to resolve the ongoing diplomatic crisis.

A short time later, the state-run Saudi Press Agency published a statement disputing that, saying the call was at Qatar’s request and all communication would be cut off over this newest dispute.

Four Arab nations began their boycott of Qatar on June 5. Mediation efforts so far have stalled. </s> By The Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Leaders in Qatar and Saudi Arabia have had their first high-level contact since a diplomatic crisis engulfing Doha began three months ago, but the terms of what was discussed are now in dispute.

Both governments acknowledged early Saturday that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The state-run Qatar News Agency then published an account of the call saying the two countries agreed to send envoys to resolve the ongoing diplomatic crisis.

A short time later, the state-run Saudi Press Agency published a statement disputing that, saying the call was at Qatar’s request and all communication would be cut off over this newest dispute.

Four Arab nations began their boycott of Qatar on June 5. Mediation efforts so far have stalled. </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> 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> DUBAI, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a phone call on Friday from Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, state media from both countries reported, in what could be a breakthrough in the dispute between Doha and neighboring Arab states.

"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 reported. (Reporting by Rania El Gamal; Editing by Chris Reese) </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> Qatar’s ruler phoned Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to express interest in talks to resolve a three-month-old diplomatic crisis, Saudi state media said early Saturday.

The crown prince “welcomed this desire,” the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported, adding “details will be announced after Saudi Arabia reaches an agreement with UAE and Bahrain and Egypt”, the Arab bloc that cut ties with Qatar in June.

The phone call by Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, came after US President Donald Trump offered on Thursday to mediate in the crisis, saying he believed the dispute could be solved “fairly easily.”

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt announced on June 5 they had cut diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar, accusing it of bankrolling Islamist extremist groups and of being too close to Iran.

They also shut down air, maritime and land links and imposed economic sanctions on Qatar.

The gas-rich emirate denied the claims and accused the four countries of attacking its sovereignty.
Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Than telephones Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to discuss the three-month old crisis.