Gulf thaw

The warm welcome King Salman gave to Qatari PM at the start of the Gulf summit reflected a change in attitudes

Even though Qatar’s emir skipped a Gulf summit in Riyadh which some had been calling a ‘reconciliation conference’, speeches by regional leaders signalled a thaw between Doha and Saudi Arabia. Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz had apparently sent a ‘written message’ to

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to attend the event which was relocated from the UAE to the Saudi capital. The warm welcome King Salman gave to Qatari Prime Minister Abdullah bin Nasser at the start of the summit reflected a change in attitudes since June 2017, when the Saudis, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut all diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar.

The four nations accused Doha of backing the Muslim Brotherhood and cosying up to Iran. Qatar-owned Al Jazeera’s reporting was also a point of contention. Interestingly, the thaw is coming despite Doha’s refusal to accede to the 13 demands made of it, which include shutting down Al Jazeera, downgrading ties with Iran, and closing Turkish military bases in the country. In his speech at the annual Gulf Cooperation Council summit, King Salman called for greater unity in the face of threats such as Iranian ‘aggression’, while avoiding direct references to the Qatar situation. GCC Secretary-General Abdullatif Al-Zayani also called for better integration.

A thaw would be welcome news due to the impact of the blockade on trade and communications both within and outside the region. Signs of a thaw started in October when Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met senior Saudi officials in a bid to heal the rift. The foreign minister confirmed the meeting at a conference in Rome, where he expressed hope that the “talks will lead to our progress where we can see an end for the crisis.” Another thaw was seen when Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain sent their national football teams to compete in the 24^th Arabian Gulf Cup, hosted by Qatar. The Saudis also flew to Doha directly, despite airspace restrictions.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 13^th, 2019.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.