Gulf summit aims to ease tensions with Qatar, aid US in isolating Iran

Resolution of Gulf states’ dispute with Doha tops Tuesday’s meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council in the northwestern Saudi city of Al-Ula

A proposed deal would allow Qatari planes to fly over Saudi Arabia, while Qatar could agree to tone down the coverage of Saudi Arabia by its media

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Qatar’s ruler, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, centre, has skipped the Gulf Cooperation Council summits every years since 2017. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:24am, 3 Jan 2021Updated: 8:40pm, 3 Jan 2021

The Gulf crisis that has pitted regional players against Qatar could be moving closer to resolution as the key countries prepare to meet in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Riyadh led a coalition of countries in the Gulf and beyond in 2017 to cut ties with Doha over charges it was too close to Tehran and backed radical Islamist groups. Qatar denies the claims.

Washington has intensified pressure on the nations imposing what Qatar calls a “blockade” to resolve the crisis, insisting Gulf unity is necessary to isolate US rival Iran as the curtain falls on Donald Trump’s presidency.

The row will top the agenda at Tuesday’s meeting of leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council in the northwestern Saudi city of Al-Ula.

While Gulf sources say an agreement on further talks and limited confidence building measures is ready, not all of the boycotting countries have yet signed up.

The GCC is a bloc that includes boycotting countries Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, neutral Kuwait and Oman, and Qatar.

After severing ties in June 2017, the Saudi-led alliance subsequently forced out Qatari expatriate residents, closed their airspace to Qatari aircraft and sealed their borders and ports, separating some mixed-nationality families.

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