US foreign chief arrives in Saudi amid Gulf crisis

By Ahmed al-Masri

DOHA, Qatar (AA) – U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived Wednesday in Saudi Arabia from Qatar as part of efforts to solve the Gulf crisis.

He held talks upon arrival with King Abdullah that tackled aspects of Saudi-U.S. relations and regional developments, particularly counter-terrorism efforts, the official SPA news agency reported.

The Gulf crisis was triggered by the cutoff of trade and diplomatic relations between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, who accuse Doha of supporting terrorism.

Tillerson is expected to hold a meeting later today in Jeddah with the foreign ministers of the four countries.

The top American diplomat had already visited Qatar and Kuwait as part of his efforts to resolve the crisis.

During Tillerson's visit to Doha, the U.S. and Qatar signed a deal to combat terrorism financing, a step the four countries described late Tuesday as insufficient.

The four states have presented a list of demands for Qatar, including the closure of the pan-Arab Al Jazeera television, or face further sanctions.

Qatar denies the accusations, saying the blockade was in violation of international law.