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'Breakthrough signs' in resolving Gulf rift

August 10, 2017 at 3:46 am

The then-Foreign Minister of Kuwait, Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah at a press conference on 28 December 2016 [Murtadha Sudani/Anadolu Agency]

Breakthrough signs on Kuwaiti-American moves to launch dialogue between Qatar and blockading countries have been surfacing, according to reports by the Kuwait News Agency.

Yesterday, Kuwait’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah and Acting Minister of Information, Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, delivered a letter to Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, that included the latest developments on the regional and international arenas and issues of common concern.

The official news site did not reveal the content of the Kuwaiti letter to the Emir of Qatar, which follows a tour by the Emir of Kuwait in the region in an attempt to resolve the Gulf crisis.

In the meantime, Al-Rai newspaper quoted Kuwaiti diplomatic sources who talked about potential “breakthrough signs” in light of the positivist surrounding the five visits by the envoy of Prince Sabah Al-Ahmad to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Oman, the UAE and Bahrain in the past 48 hours.

The newspaper sources pointed out that the atmosphere of the meetings was “very positive” and that Kuwait is keen to fix issues and build on the common points in order to launch a direct dialogue between Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt on the one hand and Qatar on the other hand, noting Kuwait’s keenness to maintain the Gulf as a unified entity in the face of the challenges in the region.

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In the context of the mediation, Kuwait expressed its readiness to provide joint guarantees with the United States to the four countries in order to ensure that “no harm is caused by Qatar.” This was appreciated by the officials who met with the Kuwaiti mediator, especially in light of the confidence given to Kuwait by all parties.

The newspaper sources expressed cautious optimism about an imminent breakthrough in the crisis, through the launch of direct dialogue between the parties. This is also supported by the United States, which in turn upholds the Kuwaiti mediation through sending envoys to the region.