KUWAIT CITY
Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid al-Atiyah said Wednesday that his country supported the "choices" of the Egyptian people.
Speaking at a press conference with Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah, al-Atiyah said that Qatari Emir Tamim Ben Hamad had reiterated Qatar's desire to see stability in Egypt and "support the choices of the Egyptian people."
Relations between Cairo and Doha have soured dramatically since the Egyptian army ousted elected president Mohamed Morsilast July on the back of demonstrations against his leadership.
Following Morsi's ouster and subsequent imprisonment, a number of his supporters fled to Qatar amid a heavy-handed crackdown by Egypt's army-backed interim authoritieson pro-democracy protests.
Gulf tension is over: Qatari FM
Qatari Foreign Minister said that differences between his country and fellow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members had been resolved.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Kuwaiti counterpart Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah, al-Atiyah said the return to Doha of the Saudi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahraini ambassadors would depend on the latter three countries.
"Differences are possible within the GCC," al-Atiyah said. "They should not, however, lead to severing relations."
Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain all recalled their ambassadors from Doha last month.
The three Gulf States attributed the move to what they described as Qatari "interference" in their affairs, along with Qatari support for Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood – the group from which ousted president Mohamed Morsi hails.
On April 17, GCC foreign ministers agreed to press ahead with implementation of an agreement signed last November obliging signatories not to interfere in the affairs of fellow GCC member states.
After meeting at a Saudi airbase, GCC foreign ministers agreed not to support any organizations or individuals that threatened the security or stability of GCC member states.
They further agreed to refrain from supporting what they described as "hostile" media outlets.
Qatar congratulates Gaza PM on deal ending Palestinian rifts
Khalid al-Atiyah on Wednesday congratulated Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on a deal to end Palestinian divisions.
"The Qatari foreign minister has sent a cable of congratulations to Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on the deal to end the [inter-Palestinian] schism," Haniyeh's spokesman Taher al-Nounou told Anadolu Agency in Gaza.
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