French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in Doha on Saturday that Paris wants to assist Kuwait-led mediation on the crisis between Qatar and four other Arab states. “France should be a facilitator in the mediation” led by Kuwait, Le Drian told reporters following talks with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. Le Drian flew in to Qatar at the start of a Gulf tour aimed at helping defuse the crisis pitting Qatar against Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt. Le Drian said France counted on “reinforcing cooperation with Qatar in the fight against terrorism, particularly in combatting terrorism financing”. “Combatting terrorism also cannot be through practising political and intellectual terrorism against a state,” Sheikh Mohammed said, in reference to measures taken against Doha by its neighbours.

Source: Dhaka Tribune July 15, 2017 12:33 UTC