国际英语新闻:Sisi reiterates need for Qatar to respond to Arab quartet's concerns

CAIRO, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fatah el- Sisi on Monday stressed that Qatar needs to respond to the concerns of the Arab quartet in order to end a standoff in the Gulf.

Sisi made the remarks while meeting Kuwait's First Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al Khaled Al Hamad Al Sabah, who was visit Cairo as envoy of Kuwaiti Amir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah.

Egyptian Presidential spokesman Alaa Youssef said the Kuwaiti envoy delivered a written letter from Sheikh Sabah to Sisi on Kuwait's efforts to deal with the Qatari crisis, the official news agency MENA reported.

The Kuwaiti minister reviewed efforts exerted by his country to strengthen the Arab unity and solidarity in face of the various challenges facing the Arab nation, Youssef said.

Sheikh Sabah affirmed Egypt's pivotal role in promoting the joint Arab action "as a major pillar of security and stability in the Arab world," the spokesman said.

For his part, Sisi appreciated the Kuwaiti amir's efforts to promote Arab solidarity and consensus, as well as his pro-Egyptian stances.

Sisi also affirmed Egypt's full support for the Kuwaiti mediation efforts, stressing the need for Qatar to respond to the concerns of Egypt and the three Gulf states.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and other officials attended the meeting.

Sheikh Sabah arrived in Cairo after holding meetings with Saudi counterpart Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in Jeddah.

Sheikh Sabah handed the Saudi crown prince a written letter addressed to Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud from Kuwaiti amir.

Kuwait has been playing the role of mediator since the Saudi-led Arab bloc, which also includes the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt, cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar in early June, citing Doha's support of terrorism and interference in their domestic affairs.

Qatar has strongly denied these charges, insisting that it has been fighting terrorism relentlessly.

No breakthrough has been achieved so far in Kuwait's efforts to set up a dialogue to end the two-month standoff in the Gulf, as Qatar has rejected a list of demands put forward by the Saudi-led bloc.

The demands include stopping support for terrorism and extremist groups, ending interference in their internal affairs, and downgrading ties with Iran, Saudi's arch rival.