Trade, transport between GCC, Qatar could resume within a week – official

Trade, transport between GCC, Qatar could resume within a week – official

Trade, travel and transportation ties could be resolved between Qatar and GCC countries within a week, the UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash has said.

"We realise that some issues are easier to fix. Some will take longer,“ said Gargash, adding "We expect to move very quickly on other issues.“

The "UAE is behind this deal, positive about re-establishing relations with Qatar within the GCC context,“ he added.

Legal cases that Qatar filed against the UAE will also be suspended. "With two parties reconciling, it is natural that legal cases will also be dropped,“ he said, addressing the media on January 7.

Dr Gargash said he expects that the GCC "will go back to its full vitality“ on the diplomatic front.

Saudi Arabia and three other Arab states agreed to fully restore ties with neighbouring Qatar earlier this week, after a sustained US push for the countries to unite against Iran.

Read: Gulf Arab states agree to restore Qatar ties, end three-year rift

The breakthrough in ending a dispute that erupted in 2017 came just two weeks before President-elect Joe Biden takes office after pledging a new start with Tehran.

"From the hall of mirrors in Al-Ula, a bright new page begins,“ Anwar Gargash had