Gulf crisis simmering down amid international desire to end dispute, says France special envoy

Bertrand Besancenot told Qatari daily al-Sharq on Sunday that the more than seven-month dispute was harmful for the whole region and hailed efforts by Qatar and ally Kuwait to end the spat.

"We sense there is calm and a strong desire to end the siege… there are positive signs such as Kuwaiti, [French] and US desire to lift the siege and end the crisis," Besancenot said.

"We think that dialogue is the only way to end the crisis, which harms everyone," he added.

The comments come days after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also called for an end to the dispute, warning it was harming regional security.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt broke off ties with Qatar in June, accusing it of supporting extremists and being too close to Iran, Riyadh's arch-rival.

After cutting off all ties with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and its allies imposed a land, sea and air blockade of the emirate and issued a list of 13 demands to have it lifted.

The list of demands included shutting down media outlets Al Jazeera and London-based The New Arab, curbing relations with Iran and closing a Turkish military base in the emirate.

Qatar denies the allegations and accuses the bloc of aiming to incite regime change.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called on the Saudi-led block to lift the embargo on Qatar and backed diplomatic efforts led by Kuwait.

In December, Macron visited Qatar and struck a deal to sell 12 French-built Rafale fighter jets to the gas-rich emirate.

The two countries also signed a $3.5 billion deal on the operation and maintenance of the Doha Metro, currently being built as the country prepares for the football World Cup in 2022.