Reconciliation between Qatar and Saudi Arabia; Initial agreements and unresolved disputes

By: Mohammad Ali Takhtravandeh- Middle East expert

Tehran (Qodsna)- In recent days, numerous reports published about reconciliation between Qatar and Saudi Arabia as two major players in the Persian Gulf.

The developments that are being mediated by the Trump administration, most of all seem to be in order to intensify the economic pressures on Iran and deprive Iran from its presence in the market of Qatar.

In fact, in its final days, the Trump administration is seeking to take advantage of the consequences of Doha and Riyadh agreement against Iran, rather than seeking to resolve the complex differences between the two countries in the sensitive Persian Gulf’s region.

There are differences between Qatar and Saudi Arabia that if not solved, it will be impossible to reach a lasting agreement.

According to NBC News report, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are expected to reach an agreement within days that will help ease a standoff that has embroiled the Gulf region since 2017. The preliminary deal would hinge on Saudi Arabia allowing Qataris to resume flights through Saudi airspace and in exchange, the Qataris would drop pending international lawsuits against Saudi Arabia.

Two well-informed sources in the region also told NBC that the issue of reopening Saudi airspace to Qatar is one of the main obstacles to the agreement between the two countries.

This is despite the fact that a few days ago, US and Arab officials on the Persian Gulf offshore announced that they had reached an initial agreement to reduce tensions between Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Jared Kushner, senior White House adviser and President Donald Trump's son-in-law, was in Saudi Arabia and Qatar this week to “resolve the rift,” according to a senior administration official, as the White House seeks to notch a final diplomatic win in the Middle East before Trump leaves office.

Some Western sources reported Jared Kouchner in the last days of Trump's presidency, intends to make the last financial use of them by making trips to rich Arab countries in the region, therefore, one should not be too optimistic about the reconciliation agreement between Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

In recent days, a delegation of Qatari officials has visited Iran. It seems that one of the reasons for this visit in the current situation is to send a message to Tehran that Qatar will not forget the aid of countries like Iran at the height of the crisis in relations between the Persian Gulf countries.

Accordingly, it should not act hastily in dealing with the recent developments in the issue of reconciliation between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, but should provide a realistic analysis of the current situation by examining all the components.