Underlying tensions still restrict full GCC reconciliation
While Qatar has been reinvited to the GCC party, the UAE appears to be spoiling for the role of party pooper.
The invitation for the emir of Qatar to attend the summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Dec. 10, among other indications of rapprochement, may suggest that GCC tensions are resolving. However, the attitudes of states involved in the crisis still pose a threat to long-term unity within the bloc.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani visited Riyadh in October, with the news outlet reporting that Qatar offered to retrench its foreign policy. including severing ties with the Muslim Brotherhood. Apparently, there is ongoing back-channel communication between Saudi Arabia and Doha to seek a compromise.
Qatar presents itself as being favorable toward resolving the GCC crisis and respecting its neighbors’ wishes.
“Since the outset of the illegal blockade on Qatar, we have been clear that Qatar is prepared to work within the GCC framework to find a solution. All of the region’s citizens have suffered enough, and we have welcomed every opportunity to resolve the ongoing blockade through open dialogue and mutual respect of each country’s sovereignty,” a senior Qatari official told Al-Monitor.
