France assigns special envoy to Gulf State crisis

The French foreign ministry announced yesterday that it had assigned its former ambassador to Saudi Arabia Bertrand Besancenot as a special envoy to discuss the crisis among the Gulf States, AlKhaleejonline.net reported.

Spokeswoman for the French foreign ministry said in a statement: “The diplomatic advisor of the government Bertrand Besancenot will visit the region of the Arabian Gulf soon”.

She noted that he would “assess the situation” and to see if it is possible to mediate in “deescalating the tension between Qatar and its neighbours”.

Read: Collateral damage resulting from the Gulf crisis

Bertrand Besancenot has served as an ambassador to both Saudi Arabia and Qatar. He is well informed about issues in the Arabian Gulf and has good relations with officials in both countries.