UAE, Qatar in process of restoring diplomatic ties

Qatar and the UAE are restoring diplomatic ties and reopening embassies, officials said on Tuesday, more than two years after Arab states ended a boycott of Doha.

"At present, the activation of diplomatic ties, which will include the reopening of embassies, is under process between both countries," a UAE official said in a statement in response to a question from Reuters.

Qatar's international media office, in a statement, confirmed that "work is underway to reopen the respective embassies as soon as possible".

A Gulf official said embassies were expected to reopen with new ambassadors in their posts by mid-June. A fourth source said diplomatic relations would be fully restored within weeks. The restoration of ties comes amid a broader regional push for reconciliation with Iran and Saudi Arabia agreeing last month to re-establish relations.

Several Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt, have moved to end a decade-long isolation of Syria, which had been boycotted over its crackdown on protests in 2011 - violence that led to a protracted civil war.

In Yemen, the Houthi movement and Saudi Arabia held a round of peace talks this week, exchanging hundreds of detainees, a significant peace-building move in a conflict widely seen as one of several proxy wars between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Further peace talks are expected soon.

In mid-2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed all ties with Qatar over accusations it supported terrorism, accusations Doha denied.

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