DOHA, 03 December, 2020, (TON): Qatar and Saudi Arabia are close to striking a preliminary agreement to end a dispute that has caused uneven relationship among Gulf neighbours for more than three years, aljazeera reported.

The expected deal comes after the US President Donald Trump’s adviser Jared Kushner arrived in the Gulf region to resolve the Gulf crisis, before the Trump administration leaves office in January.

Kushner’s tour included meetings with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh earlier this week after that he met the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in Doha on Wednesday.  

The current crisis between Qatar and the Gulf states could end "within 24 hours", Saudi Arabia's permanent representative to the United Nations, Abdullah Bin Yahya Al-Mouallimi, said yesterday.

On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) quoted US officials as saying that the main focus of the talks would be to resolve a dispute over allowing Qatari planes to fly through the airspace of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic, transport and trade links with Qatar in June 2017, accusing Doha of sponsoring terrorism. Qatar has repeatedly denied the accusations saying as baseless while highlighting its readiness for dialogue.