Talks meant to resolve ongoing Persian Gulf dispute break down: Sources

Diplomatic sources say negotiations between Saudi Arabia and Qatar to resolve a bitter bilateral conflict and end a Persian Gulf regional diplomatic and economic rift have broken down soon after starting.

Qatar's priority in the discussions was to restore free movement for its citizens to the four countries – Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – that are involved in an economic and diplomatic embargo against it, access to the airspace of those states and reopening Qatar's only land border shared with Saudi Arabia, four Western diplomats in the Persian Gulf region and two sources familiar with Qatari thinking said on Tuesday.

The Riyadh regime, on the other hand, wanted Qatar to first demonstrate a fundamental change in its behavior, particularly in its foreign policy, three of the diplomats said.

One diplomat said Saudi Arabia wanted a new arrangement with Qatar, which would presumably require Doha to make fresh commitments.

“That's a non-starter for Qatar as there are so many foreign policy disagreements,” one of the diplomats said.

Two additional Persian Gulf sources familiar with the talks said Saudi Arabia, which was representing its allies in the talks, ended the negotiations shortly after the 40th Persian Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh on December 10, 2019, which Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani did not attend.

A source familiar with Saudi thinking asserted Riyadh had pinned high hopes on the talks, but things were now “back to square one.”

But a Qatari source familiar with government thinking told Reuters that discussions had ended because demands on Qatar were unrealistic, saying, “We weren't going to become a proxy state.”

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar on June 5, 2017, after officially accusing it of “sponsoring terrorism.”

Libya, the Maldives, Djibouti, Senegal and the Comoros later joined the camp in ending diplomatic ties with Doha. Jordan downgraded its diplomatic relations as well.

Qatar's Foreign Ministry later announced that the decision to cut diplomatic ties was unjustified and based on false claims and assumptions.

MG