British Prime Minister calls for 'de-escalation' of Gulf crisis in call with Saudi crown prince

The British Prime Minister has urged all sides of the ongoing Gulf crisis to "de-escalate" the situation to restore unity among the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC].

During a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Theresa May said on Monday that the UK was committed to reaching a solution to the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the Gulf in years.

May "raised the issue of the ongoing isolation of Qatar," stressing the need for all sides take "urgent steps to de-escalate the situation and restore GCC unity," her office said in a statement.

It added that the "UK remains committed to supporting this process".

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on the phone on Monday about the latest developments of the Gulf crisis, according to Qatari state media.

Macron and the emir "stressed the need to resolve this crisis through dialogue and diplomatic means", QNA said.

Qatar on Monday responded to a list of demands from Saudi Arabia and its allies after they agreed to give a defiant Doha another 48 hours to address their grievances.

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani delivered the response during a short visit to Kuwait, which is acting as a mediator in the crisis.

The details of the letter have yet to be released.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt had announced in the early hours of Monday they were pushing back a deadline for Qatar to agree to a list of 13 demands they issued on June 22.

The demands included Doha ending support for the Muslim Brotherhood, closing broadcaster Al Jazeera along with the London-based The New Arab, downgrading diplomatic ties with Iran and shutting down a Turkish military base in the emirate.

Sheikh Mohammed had earlier said the list of demands was "made to be rejected" and on Monday, British lawyers for Qatar denounced the demands as "an affront to international law".