Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al Sabah set out for Washington on Friday for his first official visit to the US since President Donald Trump assumed office early this year.

It is expected that the 2 leaders will discuss the ongoing inter-Arab diplomatic crisis pitting the small Gulf state of Qatar against a four-nation bloc of Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia.

The four states also imposed a blockade on Qatar, going on to demand that Doha meet a long list of demands - including 1 for the closure of pan-Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera - or face additional sanctions.

A key US ally in the region & home to one of the largest US military bases in the Middle East, Qatar fiercely denies allegations that it supports terrorism.