US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (L) and Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh (Photo: VNA)

A senior official of United Arab Emirates (UAE) said prior to the talks in Saudi Arabia that any resolution of the impasse must address all the key issues for Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt. Tillerson met separately with Saudi King Salman to discuss cooperation in combating terrorism and its financing.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will visit Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE this weekend as part of efforts to ease tensions in the Gulf. His office said in a statement that Paris wants a rapid de-escalation which is in everyone's interest, and that similar strategies are being adopted by the US, Britain, and Germany to ease the tension.