Qatar emir sends condolences to UAE leader

DOHA: Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani sent condolences Sunday to the president of the United Arab Emirates, whose mother has died, despite the diplomatic rift between the two countries.

The emir sent a cable "to HH President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the death of his mother,

praying to Allah the almighty to have mercy on the soul of the late and make her residence in paradise," read a statement from the Qatar News Agency. The two countries have been at loggerheads since last June when Qatar was diplomatically and economically isolated by Gulf rivals.