Saudi foreign minister sees "significant progress" towards resolving Gulf rift

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Friday he was hopeful a deal could soon be reached to resolve a long-running dispute among Gulf nations after recent progress in talks led by Kuwait and the United States. "We have made significant progress in the last few days thanks to the continuing efforts of Kuwait but also thanks to strong support from President (Donald) Trump," Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud told a Rome conference.

"We hope this progress can lead to a final agreement which looks within reach and I can say I am somewhat optimistic that we are close to finalising an agreement between all the nations in the dispute."