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Monday, September 1, 2014
GCC ministerial meeting concludes with Qatar dispute unresolved

GCC ministerial meeting concludes with Qatar dispute unresolved
No indication of when ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and UAE will
return to Doha
Fahd Al-Zayabi Asharq Al-Awsat Sunday, 31 Aug, 2014
http://www.aawsat.net/2014/08/article55336056

Jeddah and Kuwait City, Asharq Al-Awsat - The dispute between Qatar and its
neighbors Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates remains
unresolved, despite positive statements on the issue at the conclusion of
Saturday’s meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) foreign ministers
in Jeddah, Asharq Al-Awsat has learned.

Gulf diplomatic sources, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of
anonymity, said the return of Saudi, Bahraini and Emirati ambassadors to
Doha in the near future was unlikely, an indication that the rift between
the four GCC members that led to the recall of the ambassadors in March
remains unresolved.

Qatar’s neighbors accuse it of interfering in their internal affairs, and of
failing to respect the Riyadh Agreement, a security pact drawn up by the GCC
member states last year.

Kuwaiti diplomatic sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that one of the points of
contention was Qatar’s refusal to endorse the report of the committee
supervising Doha’s compliance with the Riyadh Agreement. They also said that
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE demanded Qatar expand its efforts to
comply with the agreement, while Qatari officials demanded more time to
implement all of its articles.

However, the committees were given a green light to continue their efforts
to supervise Qatar’s compliance on Saturday, providing more time for the
dispute to be resolved.

One Kuwaiti diplomatic source, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of
anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media, played down the
dispute, saying that the fact the two sides were still talking to each other
was a positive sign.

He said: “The most important achievement was keeping the channels open for
frank negotiations in order to reach a final conciliation through direct
dialogue, and this in itself is an indication that the remaining differences
would be resolved soon.”

The source’s comments echoed the upbeat tone of the GCC’s other two members,
Kuwait and Oman.

At the GCC meeting, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al Sabah
said: “We have agreed to establish principles and criteria to overcome the
obstacles which have tarnished Gulf relations as soon as possible.”

He added that Gulf States were saddened by the events and that “we must
expedite the implementation of the agreements.” The Kuwaiti foreign minister
did not give a time frame for a final agreement, and said: “Do not be
surprised if the ambassadors return at any time.”

The French News Agency, AFP, meanwhile, quoted Omani Foreign Minister
Youssef Bin Alawi as saying the differences with Qatar had been resolved and
that the ambassadors would return, but he did not specify the date for their
return.

Reem Al-Mea’ contributed additional reporting from Kuwait City.

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