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Saudi Arabia to Lift Embargo on Qatar


Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Ahmad Nasser al-Sabah speaks during a news conference in Amman, Jordan, Oct. 19, 2020.
Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Ahmad Nasser al-Sabah speaks during a news conference in Amman, Jordan, Oct. 19, 2020.

Saudi Arabia will lift a yearslong embargo on Qatar, according to Kuwait's Foreign Ministry.

Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Ahmad Nasser al-Sabah announced the deal Monday on Kuwaiti TV, saying, "An agreement has been reached to open airspace and land and sea borders between Saudi Arabia and Qatar as of this evening."

He said the agreement would be signed Tuesday at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi King Salman will chair the gathering and Qatar's leader is now expected to attend the meeting for the first time since borders were sealed more than three years ago.

The diplomatic dispute began in 2017 when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic, trade and travel ties with Qatar. The four countries accused Qatar of supporting terrorism, a charge Doha denied.

Kuwait and the United States have been working to end the dispute, which Washington has argued hinders efforts to contain Iran.

Reuters news agency reports that senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, along with Middle East envoy Avi Berkowitz and special State Department adviser Brian Hook, will attend the signing ceremony Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, citing a senior Trump administration official.

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