Qatari leader reiterates readiness for dialogue during Merkel meeting

The Emir of Qatar reinforced his country's readiness for dialogue with the Arab states imposing a blockade on the tiny Gulf emirate, during talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Friday.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, who is currently on a tour of Europe, said Qatar maintains its stance on dialogue to resolve the dispute with its neighbouring Arab states.

"Qatar supports Kuwaiti mediation and will continue to support it until a solution to the crisis is reached," Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani said.

"We are fighting terrorism, but we must focus on the roots and causes of terrorism. We may disagree with some Arab countries on defining the roots of terrorism, but we agree on the need to fight it," he said.

The comments, repeated on multiple occasions since the dispute in June, came during "excellent and frank" talks with Merkel, in which the two leaders discussed the months-old Arab blockade on Qatar.

On June 5, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Qatar accusing it of backing extremism and fostering ties with their Shia rival Iran. Doha, however, vehemently denies the claims.

Merkel said that "Germany is seeking a solution to the Gulf crisis," expressing concern on more than 100 days of unresolved disputes.

The German chancellor noted the Emir's willingness to do everything in his power to resolve the Gulf crisis and confirmed Berlin's communication with all parties involved.

"We must take a diplomatic approach to reach a fair and positive solution to the Gulf crisis," she said.

"We cannot solve the problem in public, we must use diplomacy to reach fair results to end the conflict away from public and media attention," Merkel said.

On Thursday, the Emir of Qatar began an overseas tour, including Turkey, Germany and France.