Cairo – Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit expressed regret that the situation had reached such a point that led each of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Yemen and Egypt to cut their diplomatic ties with Qatar.

In a statement issued on Monday, he said he hoped that the latest diplomatic crisis with Qatar would be resolved on sound bases in the near future.

Saudi Arabia, together with Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE announced early on Monday the cutting off diplomatic relations with Qatar amid accusations over the latter’s support of terrorism. Yemen and Libya have also adopted the same measures.

“The secretary general regrets that the situation between the Arab countries reached this limit… He confirmed that he hopes that this dangerous crisis will be overcome in the near future in the name of protecting Arab national security from the existing challenges,” the statement said.

The Arab League head added that he was willing to work together with member states in order to resolve disagreements and to implement joint initiatives, particularly in fighting extremism and terrorism.