Gulf Arab states have called a truce over an eight-month exile of neighbours Qatar, raising hopes the alliance can be repaired for the good of the region.
Tensions are high in the Middle East over the prospect of an Iranian nuclear deal that could tilt the balance of power towards Tehran, helping to drive the new moves.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain agreed at a meeting to send back their ambassadors to Qatar, signalling an end to the dispute over Doha’s backing of Islamist militants in Syria and elsewhere and its promotion of Arab Spring revolts.
An official photograph showed Qatar’s youthful emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, kissing the head of Saudi King Abdullah, who is more than 90 years old, in reconciliation at the meeting of Gulf Arab rulers in Saudi capital Riyadh.
The king was the driving force behind the closing of ranks, according to analysts and a diplomat.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE withdrew their envoys in March. They accused Qatar of failing to abide by an agreement not to interfere in one another’s internal affairs and not to support the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, seen as a terrorist group by some Gulf Arab states. Qatar denies that charge.
CONNECT WITH THE SCOTSMAN
• Subscribe to our daily newsletter (requires registration) and get the latest news, sport and business headlines delivered to your inbox every morning
• You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google +
Officials said the possibility of a thaw in relations between Tehran and the United States, the Gulf States’ main ally, following any nuclear accord was a concern of Gulf Arab rulers, but was not the immediate cause of Sunday’s agreement.
The rulers instead appear to have mended fences for fear the row would otherwise spin out of control, possibly leading to a boycott of the annual summit of their six-nation Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) alliance to be hosted by Qatar next month. A boycott would have been a deep embarrassment to Qatar, amplifying an impression of GCC disarray and raising doubts about the point of a three-decades-old union of monarchies created to stand together against common adversaries.
Nevertheless the top GCC concern is to protect its members, who see themselves as a rare Arab bastion of security, with Iraq and Syria at war, Yemen and Libya in chaos, Egypt destabilised and Lebanon undermined by the turmoil on its borders.
A diplomatic source involved in the reconciliation efforts said that while Iran was not an immediate factor in the meeting, “the concern over Iran and its nuclear work is always there and has never gone away”.
Sami al-Faraj, a security adviser to the GCC added: “The GCC needed to unify its stances, in light of Iran. Timing is of the essence.”
Meanwhile, UAE political scientist Abdulkhaleq Abdulla said that, while the dispute could be seen as “officially” over, in reality that might not be the case.
Qatar had to be given time to show that it was abiding by its commitments, he said, so they could move on as partners.
SCOTSMAN TABLET AND IPHONE APPS
• Download your free 30-day trial for our iPad, Android and Kindle apps
Open all references in tabs: [1 – 8]