Saudi Arabia ‘not ready’ to begin talks with Qatar – Tillerson

The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is not yet ready to start talking with Qatar about mending the diplomatic rift between the two countries, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Sunday. “There is not a strong indication that the parties are ready to talk yet,” Tillerson told reporters, following his discussions on the issue with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman earlier in the day. In June, Saudi Arabia along with Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates cut diplomatic ties and imposed a blockade on Qatar, accusing the Gulf country of funding terrorism and being too close to their rival, Iran. The secretary of state is visiting Saudi Arabia as part of his tour through the Middle East aimed at helping to resolve the crisis.