A handout picture provided by the Royal Palace of Saudi Arabia on June 6, 2017, shows Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud (right) meeting with Kuwait\'s Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.The Emir travelled to Saudi Arabia for talks aimed at resolving the crisis between Qatar and its Gulf neighbors.
CAIRO, KOMPAS – The mediation efforts initiated by the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, to resolve Qatar’s critical relations with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain has met a dead end. Qatar is still seen as an obstacle for dialogue.
Bahrain Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifah, in an interview with Asharq al-Awsat newspaper on Thursday (8/6), blamed Qatar for the failure of the mediation mission. According to Sheikh Khaled, the success or failure of the tension-cooling efforts led by the Kuwaiti Emir depended on Qatar.
Kompas reporter Musthafa Abd Rahman, reporting from Cairo, Egypt, said that according to Al Hayat newspaper, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, in his meetings with the Emir of Kuwait in Jeddah and with Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid al-Maktoum in Dubai, stressed that Saudi Arabia and the UAE did not want to overthrow the regime in Qatar. They only wanted Qatar to change its policies in the region.
Some of the policies that need to be ended is Qatar’s special relations with Iran, the supply of funds to groups like Ikhwanul Muslimin (IM), Hezbollah and Hamas, and also ending provocative news, particularly from Al Jazeera television station. The demands would be difficult to fulfill because Qatar does not consider Iran, IM, Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations. It is those differences that have sparked tension in the region.
Since the mediation has been unsuccessful, Qatar has started to make moves to prepare for a prolonged crisis. Al Hayat revealed that Qatar has held discussions with Iran and Turkey regarding food supply. Flag carrier Qatar Airways will be used to transport food from Iran and Turkey.
Qatar, which has limited agricultural land, imports almost 100 percent of its food supplies from abroad, mostly from Saudi Arabia. Around 40 percent of its food supplies from Saudi Arabia are delivered by land, access to which has now been closed.
The Turkish parliament on Wednesday agreed to a draft law that allows Turkey to send armed troops to Qatar. Television station Israel 124news said that Turkey would send more than 3,000 troops to protect the Qatari ruler and guard the Qatar-Saudi Arabia border.
In accordance with a 2014 Qatar-Turkey military agreement, Qatar allows Turkey to position its troops in the country. The two countries are known to have similar policies of supporting Islamist movements in the Middle East. Turkey and Qatar both take in many IM and Hamas figures.
In Ankara, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to discuss the Gulf crisis and Turkey-Iran coordination to face the crisis.
Iran is seen to be taking advantage of the crisis. Qatar will be increasingly dependent on Iran to fulfill its food demand and aerial access for Qatar Airways to locations around the world. Iran’s aerial territory is now the only access for Qatar’s planes after Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and theUAE closed their airspace to Qatar.
US move
Amid the controversy generated by his tweet on Twitter, US President Donald Trump, according to Al Jazeera, has telephoned Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, to offer help in resolving the crisis. Trump will also invite Gulf leaders to the White House. Trump took these steps after he had phoned King Salman and praised Saudi Arabia’s war on terror.
The number of countries that have followed Saudi Arabia’s move to terminate diplomatic relations with Qatar has increased. Following Senegal and Mauritania, Chad has also withdrawn its ambassador from Qatar.
Concerned
The Indonesian Foreign Ministry has given the developments in the Middle East some serious attention. The ministry’s director for the protection of Indonesian citizens and legal entities, Lalu M Iqbal, said that the Indonesian Embassy in Doha has intensified its communication with members of the Qatari public.
“So far, the condition remains safe. The Indonesian Embassy urges Indonesian citizens to stay calm,” Iqbal said in a text message to reporters.
On her return from a working visit to Nigeria, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi took time to meet with Basri Sidehabi, Indonesian Ambassador to Qatar. Basri said that the availability of food and goods in supermarkets was normal.
The Indonesian Embassy in Doha is ready to provide protection for Indonesians in anticipation of possible developments in Qatar. The embassy has also formed a special task force. “I hope that Indonesians in Qatar will get in touch with the Indonesian Embassy quickly if they need assistance,” Retno said.
After meeting with President Joko Widodo at the Presidential Palace to report on her visit to Nigeria and the Gulf crisis, Retno said that the government was concerned about the rising tension between Middle Eastern countries. Other than pushing for a dialogue, Indonesia also urged all parties involved to prioritize ukhuwah Islamiyah (Islamic brotherhood).
“Since June 5, I have been in communication with many foreign ministers, especially in the Gulf region. Basically, Indonesia is concerned and is observing the development that is unfolding. Secondly, we ask all parties to take a step back, [and] prioritize dialogue and reconciliation,” she said.
Indonesia urges all parties to prioritize ukhuwah Islamiyah, especially to the unity of ummah, especially during the month of Ramadhan. Indonesia is also ready to help if it is needed. Middle Eastern countries appreciate Indonesia’s good intentions. According to Retno, peace and stability in the Middle East is extremely important to Indonesia.
Rating downgraded
Ratings agency Standard &Poor’s (S&P) has downgraded Qatar’s long-term rating by one level to AA-, or the fourth in the investment-worthy category. It is feared that Qatar’s escalating tension with a number of other Arab nations could affect the general financial and economic condition of Qatar. However, the short-term rating for Qatar’s bonds has not changed, as it remains at A-1+.
It is predicted that the Qatar’s isolation will have a negative effect on its bonds. Furthermore, the exchange rate of the Qatari riyal has fallen to its lowest point in 11 years.
“We expect that economic growth will slow, not just through reduced regional trade, but as corporate profitability is damaged because regional demand is cut off, investment is hampered, and investment confidence wanes,” S&P stated.
