Emir of Crisis-Hit Qatar to Meet Merkel on Sept. 15
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will host Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani for talks on September 15, in what will be his first trip to a western capital since his country sank into crisis.
Merkel's spokesman said he did not immediately have any details about the planned meeting.
But the talks are expected to be dominated by the fate of Qatar since Saudi Arabia and its allies broke off diplomatic contact with Doha in June.
The emir's visit to Berlin comes as Kuwait is seeking to help broker an end to the quagmire, and a day after U.S. President Donald Trump offered to play mediator in the crisis.
Saudi Arabia as well as the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut ties with Qatar in June, accusing it of bankrolling Islamist extremist groups and of being too close to Iran.
They also shut down air, maritime and land links and imposed economic sanctions on Qatar. The gas-rich emirate denies the claims and accuses the four countries of an attack on its sovereignty.
Source: Agence France Presse
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