Qataris in the UAE express cautious optimism over resolving dispute

Qataris in the UAE express cautious optimism over resolving dispute ‘The people of the GCC should be kept out of disputes between governments’ By Nawal Al Ramahi,Special to Gulf News Published: 15:23 March 17, 2014 Dubai: Qataris in the UAE have expressed cautious optimism that the recent dispute between their country and three other Gulf states, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, would be resolved amicably, describing it as a “mere passing summer cloud”. They pin much hope on Kuwait’s mediation efforts to repair the rift and prevent the disintegration of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “The historical relations between the Qatari people and their brotherly people of the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain will not be affected by this political dispute. We share deeply rooted ties and historical bonds,” said Mohammad Al Rumaihi, a Qatari currently visiting the UAE. He expressed hope that Kuwait would succeed in its mediation efforts to bridge the gap between the four GCC countries. “I hope that the emir of Kuwait will intervene to repair the rift.” Al Rumaihi ruled out that Saudi Arabia would close its air space or land borders with Qatar, as has been speculated by regional media. What did the Qataris say about Saudi Arabia? “This will mainly affect Qatari citizens as most of our imports of basic commodities and food are sourced from the Saudi agriculture sector,” Al Rumaihi said. Meanwhile, Faisal Al Ajlan has defended the independence of his country’s foreign policy, while calling on the governments to keep the people of the GCC out of political disputes erupting between governments over disagreement on regional and international issues. He said that inter-GCC relations should be based on mutual respect and common interests of the people of the Gulf region. “We share a common history and destiny, and hence we hope that this crisis will be resolved under the umbrella of the GCC without foreign interference. Wisdom, dialogue and common understanding are the key to solving this issue and to ultimately sparing the Gulf people from any bad scenarios that would affect their inter-relations and interests,” Al Ajlan said. Hamad Al Shamsan referred to the strong bonds binding the people of the Gulf region as well as to joint development and economic agreements and joint venture projects concluded between GCC governments. He warned of the economic consequences of the inter-GCC dispute on the people of the entire region. “Any potential escalation will not be in the interest of Gulf governments or people as we will all be affected and the grave effects will spare no one,” Al Shamsan said. He called on the leaders of the GCC countries to resort to wisdom to solve internal disputes so as to avert the Gulf people unpleasant scenarios. ================= Qatar faces total isolation — Gulf diplomat Obama will not meet Gulf leaders on Saudi visit Gulf News Report Published: 14:34 March 17, 2014 Dubai: Qatar must chose either to continue to maintain its traditional and historic links with its GCC allies and friends or to be totally isolated. It also has to stop seeking to interfere in the internal affairs of other GCC states, a senior GCC diplomatic source told Gulf News. GCC governments have been aware of Qatar’s position for some time, but a wider public also came to know the dangers of Qatar’s position when former Qatari Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Shaikh Hamad Bin Jasim Bin Hamad Al Thani, was recorded describing the Saudi government as an “old regime, with old rulers, that must end in 20 years time.” He was recorded by the security service of the former Libyan dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, and the tapes were leaked in 2011 and are widely available on social media. The tapes also make clear that Qatar was also planning riots and disturbances in Saudi Arabia. The rift with Qatar has already impacted US President Barack Obama’s visit to Riyadh on 28 March when he was due to meet all the six GCC heads of state, but in the present situation the Saudis will not invite the GCC rulers, and therefore will represent the six states on their own. The diplomatic source told Gulf News that the GCC members insist that Qatar takes certain specific actions, which include stopping backing the Al Houthi rebels in Yemen, stopping backing the Muslim Brotherhood, and closing particular academies that support radical action. He continued by pointing out that Saudi Arabia had tolerated the wayward Qatari position for more than 17 years, but the tolerance recently changed to anger after Qatar persisted in supporting interference in other GCC states, and in February also refused to sign a GCC document prohibiting member states from interference in each other’s internal affairs. The recent withdrawal of ambassadors from Qatar by Saudi Arabia and Bahrain was totally based on Qatar’s continued interference in GCC states, and had nothing to do with its support for the former Egyptian president, Mohammad Mursi, and his Muslim Brotherhood party. “When Qatar refused to sign the document, it found itself isolated. This is harmful for both the Qatari government and also its people,” Gulf News was told. ==================== Qatar prepares for sanctions if Brotherhood dispute escalates The widening gap between Doha and Riyadh has raised the prospect of Saudi Arabia carrying out its threats By Simeon Kerr Published: 12:06 March 15, 2014 Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on emailShare on printMore Sharing Services?.Dubai: Qatar is preparing contingencies to ward off economic pressure threatened by its Gulf neighbours amid a continued diplomatic stand-off over the role of political Islam in the region. Executives in Doha say official planning is under way to deal with any potential sanctions, despite officials’ belief that Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain will refrain from raising tensions further after last week’s withdrawal of ambassadors. The dispute erupted at a stormy meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council this month as Saudi officials threatened to close air space or its land border to Qatar unless Doha reins in support for the pan-Arab Islamist Muslim Brotherhood. Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are concerned that Doha’s close relations with the Brotherhood — banned in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE — is dividing the six members of the GCC. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are leading backers of Egypt’s interim military-led regime under Abdul Fattah Al Sissi, which last year ousted Mohammad Mursi, the elected Islamist president and one of the Muslim Brotherhood’s leading figures. UAE and Saudi leaders met Field Marshal Al Sissi last week after Egyptian troops arrived in the UAE for military exercises. Doha — home to prominent members of the Muslim Brotherhood, including cleric Yousuf Al Qaradawi, who is regarded by many as a spiritual guide of the Islamist group — has in turn criticised the Egyptian regime for killing its own people. Of the other GCC members, Kuwait is acting as mediator while Oman usually avoids involvement in intra-Arab disputes, although observers says Muscat is concerned at the aggressive measures being taken against Qatar. The widening gap between Doha and Riyadh has raised the prospect of Saudi Arabia carrying out its threats. “There have been no physical disruptions yet but the diplomatic dispute certainly increases the risk,” said Richard Phelps, a Dubai-based analyst with Kroll, a consultancy. Previous bilateral disputes between Saudi Arabia and the UAE have led to limited disruption at border crossings. The Qatar stock market has suffered jitters since the ambassadors’ withdrawal as investors fretted about Doha’s regional isolation. The fear is that if the situation escalates it could affect Qatar’s plans to spend billions of dollars on infrastructure in preparation for hosting the 2022 football World Cup. “The land border puts Saudi Arabia in a position of strength as its closure could disrupt Qatari imports,” Phelps added. “A border closure would be a serious problem as Qatar would have to rely on seaborne supplies.” Qatari officials have discussed the potential impact of Dubai’s tran-shipment hub, the largest in the region, being closed to its shipping. Another Doha government department has asked suppliers if they would be able to continue their services in the event of a “crisis”. Doha residents are also concerned that the closure of the Saudi land border would increase the cost of basic foodstuffs, much of which is sourced from the kingdom’s agricultural sector. The threat to close Saudi air space would be a huge blow to Qatar Airways, the ambitious and fast-growing airline. However, Qatari officials are banking on the negative repercussions of sanctions undermining the desire of Saudi Arabia to raise the ante. “Saudi Arabia does not want to push the GCC towards disintegration. Closing borders is a bad sign for them as much as us” one said. The UAE would also be wary of escalating matters, given its dependence on natural gas imported from Qatar for its power generation. Any potential disruption comes at a sensitive time in Qatar, where last year’s transition to the 33-year-old Emir, Shaikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, has already had an impact on the domestic business scene. Executives are complaining about swingeing budget cuts across government departments and slow payments to contractors as new officials make their mark. “Infrastructure projects have already faced delays due to political reshuffling, so this would add a further layer of exposure,” Phelps said. — Financial Times ========================== What did the Qataris say about Saudi Arabia? ‘Leaked tapes’ of an alleged conversation between Gaddafi and Hamad Bin Jassem shed light on interference Gulf News Report Published: 14:40 March 17, 2014 Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on emailShare on printMore Sharing Services?. Image Credit: Courtesy: YouTube A screenshot of the YouTube video Dubai: In late 2011, tapes of a purported conversation between Qatar’s former foreign minister and prime minister Hamad Bin Jassem Al Thani and late Libyan leader Muammar Al Gaddafi were released, allegedly after the fall of the Gaddafi regime. The tapes are reported to have angered Saudi Arabia, and have been cited as one of the reasons the country chose to downgrade ties with Qatar. The recordings are presumed to be from after 2008, since an Arab League meeting the recording refers to was held in Damascus that year. Below are excerpts of Hamad Bin Jassem’s alleged statements from the conversation: “British and American intelligence [agencies] have asked me to assess the situation in Saudi Arabia — please keep this between us. [So] I assessed the situation for them, and told them that it’s difficult. “The government is senescent, and it is not allowing anyone to run the affairs [of the country]. OK, it can be an old government but at least allow people to run the country. I told them that if someone cannot work for eight hours a day, he should leave it to someone else to work and oversee the affairs. They haven’t even allowed the youth to work. Nothing. “Hope in the front line [generation], even in the army, is lost. Hope should be vested in the second line …. One should develop personal relations with them, those who are in between. This, in my personal view, is an important aspect of the process. These people [holiday] in London, Paris, Rome. They are known. These are the ones we need to work on. Our embassies should quietly [work on them]. This won’t cost us a lot. This is the first point. Related Links Qatar faces total isolation — Gulf diplomat Qatar crisis ‘may get worse’ “The second point is that the English told me that they will stand with the Al Saud [ruling family] to the end because the alternative — Islamists, is dangerous. We don’t want that. They’re tired of them [Al Saud] but they can’t find an alternative. We succeeded when we took away their [American] bases [and brought them] to Qatar. We created a [security] deficiency. “Now they [Saudis] have given again them paid-for bases … We had slowly broken their monopoly over the Gulf. Look at how many heads of state attended [the summit] in Damascus. We, the Kuwaitis and the Emiratis attended. This was a major setback for Saudi Arabia. They [Saudis] no longer have control over the Arab League. “We are working with the Americans on this. We have a dispute with the Americans, which the Saudis have had success in, that is Al Jazeera. The Americans are upset with Al Jazeera. But we communicate [with Americans], and they ask us for our opinions on many things but the problem is that we don’t have many Arab states that will [publicly stand with us]. [inaudible] “The second thing is that we wanted to be a bit neutral with them on some issues because they piled significant pressure on us [through] the Americans. And we were steadfast in the face of this for three years and did not change our positions. And they are trying to [undermine] us on certain issues.” ======================== Saudi Arabia ‘has evidence of Qatari meddling’ Qatar faces ‘total isolation’ says Gulf diplomat Gulf News Report Published: 18:12 March 17, 2014 Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on emailShare on printMore Sharing Services20. Image Credit: Supplied Dubai: Saudi Arabia has documentary evidence proving that Qatari officials have plotted to destabilise the country, a Gulf diplomat told an Egyptian journalist. The editor in chief of the Egyptian newspaper Al Shurooq said on Egypt’s Al Tahreer TV that Saudi Arabia has credible documentary evidence proving that Qatar’s security services encouraged former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to assassinate Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz when he was crown prince. The editor in chief, Emad Al Deen Hussain, cited a “Gulf diplomatic source who attended Arab foreign ministers’ meetings”. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain recalled their ambassadors from Qatar on March 5 in protest of what they said was Doha’s refusal to stop interference in their affairs. The revelation comes as a Gulf diplomat, in an interview with Gulf News, warned that Qatar faces “total isolation” from Gulf states if it continues to try to destabilise regional governments and does not stop supporting regional parties that are seen as contributing to regional instability. Saudi Arabia has called on Qatar to sever relations with the Muslim Brotherhood and stop sheltering its figures, sever links to Al Houthi rebels in Yemen, and close down two think tanks seen as hostile to the Gulf states. Qatar has so far refused the demands. It is not clear if the documentary evidence that Saudi Arabia reportedly holds has been presented to Qatar yet. Qatar has insisted that Saudi Arabia back its charges against it with evidence. Related Links What did the Qataris say about Saudi Arabia? The Gulf diplomat told Gulf News that the Gulf spat has affected the agenda for US President Barack Obama’s upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia, where he was initially scheduled to meet all six heads of state from the Gulf Cooperation Council. He will now only meet Saudi King Abdullah. Al Shurooq’s Hussain said that Saudi Arabia is now studying implementing “phase 2” of diplomatic action against Qatar for its continued defiance of its neighbours. Regional media has speculated that the airspace of the three countries as well as Qatar’s only land border with Saudi Arabia. Qatar imports the vast majority of its food, much of it via the border with Saudi Arabia. * UPDATE 1-Qatar sells May al-Shaheen crude at lowest premiums since Oct 2011 -trade * TABLE-Qatar trade surplus shrinks to $10.2 bln in January ====================== American Express clinches $900 million joint venture investment Mon, Mar 17 16:10 PM EDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - American Express Co (AXP.N) said on Monday that four financial investors have committed a total of $900 million to a business travel joint venture, in what would be the largest single investment ever made in a travel management company. The deal highlights some of the challenges facing the world's biggest credit card issuer, as tighter corporate budgets weigh on its business travel division, which helps employees of companies with their travel arrangements. Certares LP, the investment firm founded by former JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) dealmaker and private equity veteran Greg O'Hara, will be joined by Qatar Investment Authority, BlackRock Inc (BLK.N) and Macquarie Capital (MQG.AX) in the joint venture. Qatar Investment Authority will have a bigger stake in the joint venture than the other three investors, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly disclose this detail. The deal underscores the sovereign wealth fund's new appetite for private equity-type direct investments in U.S.-based companies. American Express said in September it was in talks to sell half of its business travel division for up to $1 billion to an investor group led by Certares. The company's consumer travel business will not be a part of the deal. On Monday, American Express said an agreement had been reached and revealed the identity of those involved. It will own half of the joint venture, with the four financial investors owning the remainder, according to a statement by the company. The New York-based company said it expected to use a "substantial portion" of any gain recognized upon a closing of the transaction, expected in the second quarter, to invest in growth initiatives. The travel business unit is the biggest of its kind, serving customers who collectively spend more than $19 billion in corporate travel. It is present in 139 countries and employs over 14,000 people. Former American Express global commercial services president Bill Glenn will be chief executive of the joint venture, while O' Hara will serve as chairman, the companies said. O'Hara also sits on the board of directors of Travel Leaders Group, the largest U.S. travel agency company. UBS AG (UBSN.VX) and Lazard Ltd (LAZ.N) advised American Express, while Credit Suisse Group AG (CSGN.VX) advised the Certares-led investment group on the deal. (Reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in New York; Editing by Richard Chang) ======================= Saudi Arabia says Qatar must change policy to end security spat - media RIYADH Tue Mar 18, 2014 8:06am GMT RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said a dispute with Qatar over Gulf security would not be solved unless Doha changed its policy, Saudi media reported on Tuesday, the kingdom's first public comment since pulling its ambassador from the Gulf state. In an unprecedented move within the Gulf Cooperation Council of allied hereditary monarchies, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain recalled their ambassadors from Qatar on March 5, accusing Doha of failing to abide by an accord not to interfere in each others' internal affairs. Commentators say the three states are angry at fellow Council member Qatar's support for the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement whose ideology challenges the principle of conservative dynastic rule long dominant in the Gulf. They particularly resent the way Doha has sheltered prominent Brotherhood preacher Youssef al-Qaradawi, a critic of Saudi and UAE authorities, and given him regular air time on its pan-Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera, and on Qatari state television. "If the policy of the country that has caused the crisis (Qatar) has been revised, there will be a breakthrough," Prince Saud al-Faisal said, according to the Saudi-owned Al-Hayat newspaper. Last week, Qatar dismissed demands by the three fellow Gulf states for changes to its foreign policy, calling its independence "non-negotiable". The U.S.-aligned GCC, formed in 1981 and also including Kuwait and Oman, has generally presented a united front at times of threat ranging from Iranian revolution on the other side of the Gulf to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. (Writing by Rania El Gamal; Editing by Angus McDowall) ======================== Posted by : Asharq Al-Awsat on : Monday, 3 Feb, 2014 0 .UAE summons Qatari ambassador over Muslim cleric’s comments Qatari government denies preacher Yusuf Al-Qaradawi represents its official views In this file photo taken Friday Feb. 18, 2011, Egyptian cleric Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi speaks to the crowd as he leads Friday prayers in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra, File) Dubai, Reuters—The United Arab Emirates summoned the Qatari ambassador over what it said were insults against the UAE made by a prominent cleric in a broadcast from Doha, state news agency WAM reported on Sunday. The diplomatic incident reflects growing splits between the two members of the Western-allied Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in their approach to Islamists emboldened by the 2011 “Arab Spring” protests that forced four heads of state from power. While Qatar has sided with Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, the UAE has taken the opposite tack, cracking down on Islamists at home and supporting Egypt’s military-backed administration. UAE news agency WAM said the foreign ministry had handed the Qatari ambassador “an official protest memorandum over the insolence shown by the so-called Yusuf Al-Qaradawi towards the United Arab Emirates”. In a sermon two weeks ago delivered at a mosque in the Qatari capital Doha and broadcast by state television, Qaradawi condemned the UAE as a country which was against Islamic rule, UAE media reported. “We have waited for our neighbor to express a clear rejection of this insolence and to offer sufficient clarifications and assurances for this misrepresentation and incitement against the UAE,” WAM quoted UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash as saying. “But unfortunately, and despite the self restraint and calm approach, we found no desire or response for such a thing from the brothers in Qatar,” he added. “It is shameful that we allow Al-Qaradawi to continue his insults of the UAE and the ties [that bind] the peoples of the Arabian Gulf,” Gargash said on Twitter. A source close to the Qatari foreign ministry told Reuters that Qatar could not be held responsible for the views of an individual and suggested that Doha would continue to grant people like Qaradawi the right to express themselves. “Qatar is a country that allows individuals to express themselves and will not change that,” the source, who asked not to be named, said. UAE media had earlier quoted Qatari Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Attiyah as saying that Qaradawi’s comments did not reflect Qatar’s views. “The foreign policy of Qatar is expressed and conveyed only through the official channels of the state,” Attiyah said, according to the English language Gulf News.