Saudi dissident explains crisis between Gulf States and Qatar

The internationally respected Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has said that the Arab Spring was the reason for the crisis between the Gulf States and Qatar, Alarab.qa reported on Friday.

Khashoggi made his comments at a conference in Chicago during a session discussing the question of “Where is the Arab Gulf heading to?” The crisis between Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain on one side and Qatar on the other, he explained, has led to new alliances in the Gulf.

The dissident was once close to the Saudi royal court but has been living in the US after becoming an outspoken critic of the Kingdom’s policies. He pointed out that the Gulf States have “excellent grounds” for partnership, but the “decision makers” do not want one. The crisis, he added, has not only damaged regional unity but also has potentially “massive consequences”.

Relationships between Iran and the Gulf States, said Khashoggi, are based on individual states and their requirements, not a united approach. Qatar, he noted, is obliged to maintain its relationship with Tehran due to its gas exports. However, the government in Doha has objected strongly to Iranian policy in Syria and Yemen; indeed, it has backed Saudi Arabia in its support for the legitimate Yemeni government.