Qatar's emir says it is time to resolve differences through talks

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani said on Friday that it was time for negotiations to resolve differences between Doha and four Arab states which have severed diplomatic ties with it.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties and imposed a blockade and sanctions on Qatar last month, accusing it of financing extremist groups and supporting terrorism, which Doha denies.

"The time has come for us to spare the people from the political differences between the governments," the Qatari emir said in a televised speech.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani said he was ready for dialogue but any solution to the Gulf crisis must respect Qatar's sovereignty.

This was his first public appearance since the rupturing of ties on June 5 that followed an alleged hack of the Qatar News Agency website on May 24 that attributed explosive remarks to Qatar's emir. Doha blames it's neighbours for being the source of the hack.

The emir said that he valued Kuwait's mediation and the support of other countries for the efforts, including the United States, Turkey and Germany.

He also said that life in his country was continuing as normal since four Arab states severed diplomatic and travel ties with it last month.

"As you know, life in Qatar life goes on normally," Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani said but added that Qataris should become more self-reliant and called for the economy to be opened up to foreign investments.

He also criticised the closure of the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem and expressed solidarity with Palestinian people.

The emir spoke hours after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United States was satisfied with Qatar's efforts to implement an agreement aimed at combating terror financing, and urged the four states to lift their "land blockade."

Earlier on Thursday, Qatar announced a decree by Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani that established two nominal lists of individuals and terrorist entities, and the requirements for being included in them. It also defined terrorists, terrorist crimes, terrorist entities as well as the financing of terrorism.

Even though, the four Arab countries at odds with Doha dismissed that deal as "insufficient," however an Emirati state minister welcomed changes to Qatar's anti-terror legislation as a "positive" step in the crisis.