Officials: Gulf relations taking 'a positive turn'

Inter-Gulf differences are on the verge of coming to an end, a senior Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry official said Wednesday.
"Things have taken a positive turn regarding containing the differences and turning over a new leaf," Khalid al-Garallah said following a meeting devoted to joint Gulf cooperation in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh.
"The differences have not affected the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) or its meetings," al-Garallah was quoted by the official Saudi news agency as saying.
Inter-Gulf relations began to deteriorate over Qatar's opposition to last summer's ouster of Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi and its perceived support for the latter's Muslim Brotherhood group, which both Egypt and Saudi Arabia have designated a "terrorist" organization.
Last month, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain withdrew their ambassadors from Qatar, citing Doha's alleged failure to abide by a previous security agreement.

Many observers, however, have linked the diplomatic standoff to political differences over the situation in Egypt.
The Gulf trio – Saudi, the UAE and Bahrain – had been among the first to welcome last July's military ouster of Morsi, Egypt's first freely elected president.
Al-Garallah said his country had played a role in containing disputes between the four Gulf countries, adding that Kuwait was ready to help foster unity among GCC member states.
Meanwhile, Al Arabia reported that Oman's Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf bin Alawi said that the Gulf rift is now "part of the past", adding that the crisis was resolved internally "without allowing for anyone to intervene".