WASHINGTON, 30 November, 2020, (TON): White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and his team are heading to Saudi Arabia and Qatar this week to secure more diplomatic agreements in the Middle East.

According to U.S. officials talks are aimed at resolving the dispute between the neighbouring Gulf countries, as the region is simmering with tension after the killing of an Iranian nuclear scientist.

A senior US official told Reuters news agency that Kushner is to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Saudi city of Neom, and the emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in that country in the coming days.

According to officials Mr. Kushner and his team are hoping to use their political leverage to advance issues of U.S. interest, with a particular focus on resolving the three-year-old rift between Qatar and its Gulf neighbours, including Riyadh.

The trip could mark the last time that Mr. Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, meets as a White House official with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after a four-year relationship that brought substantive political changes in the Middle East.

Last month senior Saudi official signalled that there had been some progress in attempts to resolve three-year dispute, saying that Riyadh was “committed to finding a solution”.

Earlier this month, Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said there were no winners in the Gulf crisis and that Doha was hopeful it will end “at any moment.”

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic ties and imposed a land, sea and air blockade on Qatar in 2017, accusing Doha of “supporting terrorism”, a charge Doha denies and rejected the list of 13 demands.