Qatar’s ruler yesterday arrived in Saudi Arabia and was greeted with an embrace by its crown prince, following an announcement that the kingdom would end its embargo on the tiny Persian Gulf state.
The decision to open borders was the first major step toward ending the diplomatic crisis that has deeply divided US defense partners, frayed societal ties and torn apart a traditionally clubby alliance of Arab states.
The arrival of Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in the kingdom’s ancient desert city of Al-Ula was broadcast live on Saudi TV. He was seen disembarking from his plane and being greeted with a hug by Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, though both wore masks due to COVID-19 precautions.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The emir is in Al-Ula for an annual summit of Gulf Arab leaders that is expected to produce a detente between Qatar and four Arab states that have boycotted the country, and cut transport and diplomatic links with it since 2017 over Doha’s support for Islamist groups and warm ties with Iran.
The diplomatic breakthrough comes after a final push by outgoing US President Donald Trump’s administration and fellow Gulf state Kuwait to mediate an end to the crisis. It was not until late Monday that the decision to end the spat was announced.
The timing was auspicious: Saudi Arabia might be seeking to both grant the Trump administration a final diplomatic win and remove stumbling blocs to building warm ties with US president-elect Joe Biden’s administration, which is expected to take a firmer stance toward the kingdom.
It was unclear what, if any, significant concessions Qatar had made toward shifting its policies. The boycott largely failed to change Doha’s regional posture, instead buoying Sheikh Tamim domestically as patriotic fervor swept through Qatar in support of his resolve.
The boycott also pushed Qatar closer to Saudi Arabia’s rivals Turkey and Iran, which rushed to support the Gulf state when it faced shortages in medical and food supplies in the first days of the embrago.
Qatar’s only land border, which it relied on for the import of dairy products, construction materials and other goods from Saudi Arabia, has been mostly closed since June 2017, when the kingdom, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain launched their boycott.
While Riyadh’s decision to open its airspace, land and sea borders with Qatar marks a milestone toward resolving the dispute, the path toward full reconciliation is far from guaranteed. The rift between Abu Dhabi and Doha has been deepest, with the UAE and Qatar at sharp ideological odds.
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash wrote on Twitter late on Monday that his country was keen to restore Gulf unity, but cautioned: “We have more work to do.”
The summit is expected to see some form of detente between Qatar and the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain, in addition to a signing ceremony with Saudi Arabia.
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