[ad_1]
From Kuwait came the declaration of reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, including the opening of borders and airspace between the two countries, and it is a prelude to the signing of an agreement during the Al-Ula summit in the Kingdom, which the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in a statement that “it will translate the aspirations of the leaders of the GCC countries in terms of reunification and solidarity. Faced with the challenges of our region ”.
And immediately, Doha announced that the country’s emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, will lead a Qatari delegation to Riyadh to participate in the summit, which will be attended by Jared Kushner, an adviser to US President Donald Trump, to witness the end of the crisis that plagues Gulf relations for three years.
In an interview with Al-Hurra, Qatari political analyst Saleh Gharib said that the step taken by Saudi Arabia “lays the foundations for what the Emir of Qatar demanded, which is to sit down at the dialogue table.”
A Saudi-Qatari agreement paves the way for ending the Gulf crisis. Follow the full speech of the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister in which he reveals the details of the “Al-Ula statement”. pic.twitter.com/WhQI8OEw1C
– Alhurra Channel (@alhurranews) January 4, 2021
However, the question on our minds is, what about the rest of the boycotting countries? Egypt, the Emirates and Bahrain.
“The file is in the hands of Saudi Arabia”
Although Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Nasser Al-Sabah indicated in his televised statement that Egypt and the rest of the Gulf states were interested in making the Al-Ula summit a “reconciliation summit”, it did not reveal whether Cairo, Abu Dhabi and Manama would actually end the boycott of Doha and sign the agreement.
Nabil Abdel Fattah, a researcher at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, told the Al-Hurra website: “What I have been referring to up to now is that Egypt is not against reconciliation, but within the framework of what it has defined in terms of principles, in addition to the position on Islamic groups and some personalities that is protected by residing in Qatar, and some of the facilities that Doha provides to the Brotherhood, and some of its leaders and cadres, which increases the sensitivity of the Egyptian leadership.
Among the Egyptian demands from Qatar since the beginning of the crisis is the transfer of the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood to it, against which the Egyptian authorities launched a campaign, after they were removed from power in 2013 by the army after demonstrations Massive events that led to the removal of the president, Mohamed Morsi, who spent several years in prison. Before die.
However, the international law professor Ayman Salama believes that what happened was an “unprecedented political embarrassment for Egypt.”
Salameh said that any US administration “does not want Qatar to side with Iran at all, but if Qatar grants its strategic options with Iran, it will not give up on Turkey at all,” which upset Cairo.
Turkish-Egyptian relations are experiencing great strain, with diplomatic relations breaking down after Ankara accused Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of carrying out a coup against the late President Mohamed Morsi, while that Cairo accused Ankara of supporting Muslim Brotherhood terrorists.
In Abu Dhabi, in the Emiratis’ first comment on Kuwait’s announcement, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said things are moving “in the right direction.”
He added in a tweet on Twitter: “We are facing a historic summit par excellence in Al-Ula, through which we restore the cohesion of the Gulf and we are eager to ensure that the security, stability and prosperity of our countries and peoples is the first priority. We have more work and we are in the right direction. “
The Bahraini writer and researcher, Abdullah Al-Junaid, confirmed in statements to Al-Hurra that the summit will be held in the presence of all member states of the Cooperation Council, noting that “the countries that boycott Qatar have already announced that the dossier of this crisis is in the hands of Riyadh ”.
Saudi political analyst Mubarak Al-Ati told the “Al-Hurra” website that the Al-Ula summit, in which the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries will meet on Tuesday, will be a summit “to heal the gap between siblings and transcend what happened, but this does not mean forgetting mistakes, rather it is necessary “. Of transparency “.
Al-Aati added that Saudi Arabia “when it begins reconciliation, it speaks on behalf of the four countries that have authorized it to lead this crisis since its inception.”
‘Deep crack’
Although the former Kuwaiti Information Minister Saad bin Tafla, in an interview with Al Hurra TV, calls for optimism about the announcement of the signing of a reconciliation during the Gulf summit, this Tuesday he affirms that the gap between the parties “remains very deep. “, referring to what the triennium witnessed. An unprecedented campaign of media degradation, “adding that” this cannot happen overnight. “
The terms of the reconciliation agreement have not yet been announced, “but it is certain that Qatar will respond to this initiative with another initiative,” according to Al-Ati, noting that “the reconciliation train has started, and this means that there are promises from Qatar. what will he do to his brothers. “
Al-Junaid said: “The level of exposure will be higher at the top of Al-Ula and may affect postponed files.”
A professor of international law, Ayman Salama, hopes that Qatar will renounce its international claims in international forums against the four countries, based on the reconciliation agreement, “but Qatar will never surrender to Al-Jazeera,” he said.
After severing ties, the four countries issued a list of 13 Qatari demands, including the closure of the “Al Jazeera” media network and the degradation of Qatar’s relations with Turkey. But Doha did not comply with any of the demands.
Qatar has repeatedly affirmed its openness to unconditional talks, although it has not publicly indicated that it can make concessions on the 13 conditions to boycott the countries.
because right now?
Salameh believes in the statements to Al-Hurra that the US push has done a lot of Kuwaiti mediation, and that if it had not been for the election of Joe Biden, the crisis would not have been resolved.
For his part, Abdel Fattah says that this agreement was made “under the pressure and roles of the US administration, and at the same time the political awareness that the great risks stem from Iranian threats, as well as the concerns of the leaders of the United States. some Gulf countries on the Biden administration, the perceptions he has and some of the pillars of his new administration. ” On the relationship with Iran, as well as on human rights issues and some violations in the Gulf states. “
Abdel Fattah added that this measure is part of an attempt by the main parties in this conflict between Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt, as a result of regional instability, specifically in the Gulf region, and the increasing Iranian risks for these systems. and security in the Gulf subregion.
Abdel-Fattah highlights that tensions in the Gulf have increased in light of the normalization processes carried out by the UAE and Bahrain, in addition to the previous history of normalization between Qatar and Israel, as well as meetings between Israeli and Saudi officials. , in addition to the visit of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting Islamic extremist groups, something Doha denies, and has brought it closer to Iran.
The four countries have taken steps to boycott Qatar, including closing their airspace to Qatari planes, preventing commercial deals with the emirate and preventing Qataris from entering their lands, leading to the separation of relatives of mixed nationalities. each.
Tuesday’s Gulf summit comes as Washington stepped up its pressure on rival countries to resolve the crisis, emphasizing that Gulf unity is necessary to isolate Iran as President Donald Trump’s term draws to a close.
[ad_2]
