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United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has disclosed that the Saudi Arabian governemnt is not willing to involve in direct talks to resolve the ongoing gulf crisis.

Tillerson made a stop in Saudi Arabia to visit King Salman before continuing his journey to Qatar where he met with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

While speaking at a joint news conference with Mohammed bin Abdulrahman in Qatar, Tillerson lamented that the Saudi Arabian leadership were unwilling to hold any meaningful dialogue aimed at resolving the ongoing Gulf diplomatic crisis that has seen many regional countries either take sides with Saudi Arabia or Qatar.

"In my meetings with [Saudi] Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, I asked him to please engage in dialogue, [but] there is not a strong indication that parties are ready to talk yet," said Tillerson, referring to his earlier discussions in Riyadh.

"We cannot force talks upon people who are not ready to talk."

Tillerson, who also met Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, expressed concern about the effect of the crisis on the region's stability. 

"It's very important for the GCC to continue to pursue unity," he told reporters, referring to the Gulf Cooperation Council, a bloc that includes Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Oman as its members.

"It is most effective when it is unified and none of us can afford to let this dispute linger," he added, renewing a call for dialogue to resolve the dispute.

"We ask that everyone minimises the rhetoric and de-escalate the tensions and take steps to do so."