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Qatar Crisis Casts Shadow on GCC Future Leave Much Room for Hope of Tangible Results from the Sum- Mit

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Qatar Crisis Casts Shadow on GCC Future Leave Much Room for Hope of Tangible Results from the Sum- Mit December 10, 2017 5 Cover Story Gulf Perspective GCC at a critical juncture he 38th Gulf Coop- eration Council (GCC) summit highlighted the limits of this regional grouping but the an- Tnouncement the same day of a new UAE-Saudi “cooperation and coordination” mechanism point- ed to new possibilities in regional collaboration. The unprecedented brevity of the GCC summit and the low level of representation at the December 5 gathering in Kuwait City dem- onstrated the extent to which the Losing lustre. A man walks past the flags of the countries attending the Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Kuwait City, on December 5. (AFP) Qatari crisis had put a damper on expectations from the gathering. Doha’s unwillingness to seri- ously address grievances of the Saudi-led Arab boycott did not Qatar crisis casts shadow on GCC future leave much room for hope of tangible results from the sum- mit. The meeting, which went on Mamoon Alabbasi parent snub to [the] Qatari ruler, managed to achieve calm,” Sheikh ing trade bloc,” wrote Simeon Kerr without the participation of the Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani Sabah said. “Our meeting today is in the Financial Times. Saudi, Emirati and Bahraini heads and to Kuwait’s efforts to mediate a reason to continue the mediation “New dynamics in the relation- of state, nonetheless would have London an end to the Saudi-led boycott of which fulfils the ambitions of our ship between Saudi Arabia and the the credit of formally preserving the gas-rich nation,” wrote Zainab people.” UAE could make hoped for changes the existence of the GCC as a func- he Gulf Cooperation Fattah and Fiona MacDonald for It appears unlikely that the GCC in the Middle East more possible tioning entity. Council (GCC) appears Bloomberg News. rift would soon be mended. A few and consequential than before,” Saudi Arabia and the United to be passing through its The absence of the sultan of hours before the commencing of Hassan Hassan, a senior fellow at Arab Emirates, the key countries most difficult moment Oman from the meeting was due the summit, the UAE announced the Tahrir Institute for Middle East in the regional grouping, seemed, with the dispute between to his ill health but Muscat appears it was forming a military and eco- Policy, wrote in the National. “Such however, convinced of the press- Tthree of its members and Qatar keen on avoiding being involved in nomic committee with Saudi Ara- dynamics include near uniform- ing need for a more efficient ap- reaching a climax at the Arab body’s the dispute, which has divided the bia outside the GCC. ity in the way they pursue change, proach in the face of regional annual summit. GCC. UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin contrary to before when Saudi Ara- challenges, not the least of which The summit of the GCC, which Oman had resisted Saudi pres- Zayed al-Nahyan said in the reso- bia, for example, tended to be more is Iran’s pursuit of hostile designs includes Saudi Arabia, the United sure to reduce ties with Tehran and lution the committee should “co- cautious and less agile.” as illustrated by its support for its Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, which has been accused by ordinate between the two countries Although the GCC, which was es- Houthi proxies in Yemen. Oman and Qatar, was cut to just a the four boycotting countries of be- in all military, political, economic, tablished in 1981, is unlikely to be It came, therefore, as no sur- few hours instead of the planned ing too cosy with Iran. trade and cultural fields.” dismantled soon, its relevance has prise that Riyadh and Abu Dhabi two-day event. Another source of contention is The proto col to establish the diminished. Despite pressure from announced a “joint coordination Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bah- the Qatari Al Jazeera satellite chan- coordi nating committee was signed Kuwait, the GCC summit did not and cooperation committee” that rain, backed by Egypt, in June ac- nel, which the Arab quartet accuse in May 2016 by Saudi King Salman even address the Qatar crisis. would “bolster and coordinate re- cused Qatar of supporting terror- of airing extremist views, a charge bin Ab dulaziz Al Saud and Crown The fact that the summit oc- lations between the two countries ism, a charge that Doha denies. denied by the broadcaster as well Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mo- curred, however, was touted as a in the military, political, econom- Convened December 5 — exactly six as Doha. hammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan. success. ic, commercial and cultural and months since the dispute began — “Al Jazeera, which the quartet de- “The formal resolution issued “The symbolic presence yester- other fields dictated by the inter- the summit was attended by only manded be shut down, openly re- today forming a joint cooperation day was a clear message that the ests of the two countries.” two heads of state: Kuwaiti Emir porting from the summit and one of committee between the UAE and summit is the only joint political ac- “The new Saudi-UAE commit- Sheikh Sabah Ahmad al-Jaber al- its journalists spoke live to Kuwaiti Saudi Arabia is no surprise,” Mar- tion between the boycotting coun- tee is bound to be seen as an al- Sabah, who was hosting the event, state radio,” tweeted Gerd Nonne- celle Wahba, the president of the tries and Qatar and may not happen ternative, if not substitute, to the and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin man, former dean of Georgetown Washington-based Arab Gulf States again,” wrote Abdulrahman al- malfunctioning GCC,” wrote Pat- Hamad al-Thani. University Qatar. Institute, told the Abu Dhabi-based Rashed, the former editor-in-chief rick Wintour, diplomatic editor of Also attending were Saudi For- During the summit, Sheikh Sabah the National. of Asharq al-Awsat, in an opinion the Guardian. eign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, UAE called for the amendment of the The alliance signals the forma- piece in the newspaper. The strategic vision behind Minister of State for Foreign Af- GCC charter to facilitate resolving tion of a shared regional outlook by “The summit survived despite the the UAE-Saudi initiative reflects fairs Anwar Gargash, Bahraini disputes between members. He Saudi Arabia and the UAE — along boycotting of all ties with Qatar and a keen awareness of the serious Deputy Prime Minister Moham- also vowed to continue Kuwait’s with Bahrain — that is not shared by the GCC avoided a total collapse,” challenges facing the Gulf region. med bin Mubarak and Omani Dep- mediation efforts. the other three GCC members. he added. “The Kuwait summit It also indicates the political will to uty Prime Minister Sayyid Fahd bin “We have been stormed in the The move “threatens to further ended quickly, and Sheikh Sabah urgently address such challenges. Mahmoud. past six months with painful and weaken the Gulf Cooperation Coun- succeeded in rescuing the GCC from The Arab Weekly staff “The leaders’ absence was an ap- negative developments… but we cil, the Arab world’s only function- collapsing.” Viewpoint Qatar’s designs in Yemen are opportunistic and dangerous hile much ink contacted Saleh’s bureau to propose to Qatar’s financial dealings. While At that point, it was widely has been spilt on mediation efforts. Doha then ap- Qatar, the Aden-based Madar Stra- reported that Qatar had funded Qatar’s shadowy proached former Foreign Minister tegic Studies stated, was believed pro-Muslim Brotherhood news or- Iman Zayat links with the Abu Bakr al-Qarbi and proposed to to have sent more than $1 million to ganisations such as Yemen’s Shabab is the Managing Editor of Muslim Brother- host talks on mediation between Yemen for reconstruction pur- and the Turkey-based Belqees TV, The Arab Weekly. hood and alleged the GPC and the Houthis. poses in Saada, no reconstruction which is owned by al-Islah member Wsupport for extremist groups, little These decisions reveal two main work took place. It is likely that the Tawakkol Karman. has been said about Doha’s inter- things: First, Qatar’s move was not money was channelled elsewhere, While Saleh rejected Qatar’s vention in the Yemeni conflict. The made for the sake of peace or to end possibly to support and arm Houthi attempts to meddle, saying in a recent assassination of former Yem- hostilities but to slow any action rebels. 2011 speech that “We derive our eni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, by Saleh’s forces. Second, Qatar is This is supported by a recently legitimacy from the strength of our however, put Doha’s meddling in desperately looking for temporary leaked letter that documents the glorious Yemeni people, not from the war-battered country back into allies amid its crisis with four Arab Houthis’ gratitude to Qatar for its Qatar,” the tiny Gulf emirate’s poli- the spotlight. countries. help. In the letter, which was writ- cies have left lasting repercussions. UAE Minister of State for Foreign Qatar’s latest involvement in the ten, signed and stamped by Badred- Indeed, Qatar’s destructive Affairs Anwar Gargash, on Decem- Yemeni conflict brings back memo- din al-Houthi in February 2010, the presence goes far beyond its at- ber 2, posted on Twitter that there ries of its murky dealings in Yemen Houthi leader acknowledged, with tempts to mediate, finance or forge was evidence of Qatari attempts in 2007, when a ceasefire between immense gratitude, the invaluable alliances. Early last June, the Arab to mediate on behalf of Houthi the Yemeni Army and the Houthis support of the former Qatari emir quartet revealed that, according to militias, which, he said, “will not ended the fourth Saada war.
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