Little signs of easing Saudi-Qatari tensions, despite mediating efforts

Tabnak – As the diplomatic spat between Qatar and some of the of the other Middle East Arab countries continues, it seems that there’s a little space for mediating efforts to be successful. In this vein, there is still not a clear sign that Kuwaiti emir’s latest visit to Riyadh has brought any fruits.

Press TV writes in a report that he Kuwaiti emir has engaged in shuttle diplomacy to help mediate a solution to the dispute between Qatar on the one side and Saudi Arabia and its allies on the other, the biggest diplomatic crisis to hit the Persian Gulf region in years.

Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported on Tuesday that Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al Sabah had paid a "brotherly visit” to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi state news agency reported that King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Sheikh Sabah discussed the development of events in the region,” but gave no further details.

Additionally, Kuwait’s Al-Araby Al-Jadeed website said that the Kuwaiti emir was expected to travel to the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi, and then to Doha. Qatar had earlier welcomed mediation to resolve the crisis.

In an interview on Monday with Al Jazeera, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Kuwait's ruler had asked Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar's ruling emir, to hold off on giving a speech about the crisis late on Tuesday night.

Sheikh Sabah called on Qatar's ruler to focus on easing tension and advised against making decisions that could escalate the situation, Kuwait state news agency Kuna said.

However, against Kuwaiti efforts, it seems that even more Arab states are distancing themselves from Doha, following Saudi lead. In this vein, Jordan announced that Amman has decided to reduce its diplomatic status after studying reasons behind the tension between Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain with Qatar.

Jordanian government Spokesman Mohammed Momani said in a statement that the decision was made to ensure regional stability, coordinate the policies of Arab countries and "end the crises in our region."

He also stressed Amman has decided to cancel license for the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera news channel’s office in Jordan, adding that he hoped that tensions will be dissolved to build a better future for this region

A Jordanian government source also said early Wednesday that the Qatari ambassador in Amman has been asked to leave the country within days, Al-Arabiya News Channel reported.

At the same time, the UAE banned people from publishing any expressions of sympathy with Qatar, saying the offenders would face a jail term of up to 15 years. The UAE-based Gulf News daily quoted Emirati Attorney General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi as threatening the sympathizers with Doha with strict measures.

Meanwhile, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir has said Qatar must take several steps, including ending its alleged support for the Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas and Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, to restore ties with Persian Gulf Arab countries.

On Monday, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates broke off relations with Qatar, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism and destabilizing the region. They also suspended all land, air and sea traffic with Qatar, ejected its diplomats and ordered Qatari citizens to leave their countries. Some other countries has followed Saudi lead since then.