Saudi pushes to end Gulf feud, but full resolution elusive

RIYADH - Saudi Arabia is pushing for a compromise to end a damaging three-year Gulf dispute, but a full resolution remains out of reach despite its offer of concessions, sources close to the negotiations say.

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan told AFP last week that the kingdom and its allies Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE - who imposed a blockade on Qatar in June 2017 - were “on board” to resolve the crisis, with an agreement expected soon.

The potential thaw comes as Gulf states position themselves for the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, who will welcome the resolution of a row which has undercut US efforts to rein in arch-enemy Iran.

The blockading countries accused Doha of being too close to Tehran and funding radical Islamist movements - charges it staunchly denies

They originally presented Qatar with a list of 13 demands including shutting down Al Jazeera, a popular regional broadcaster which has rankled Gulf rulers with its high-decibel criticism, and downgrading links with their rivals Turkey and Iran.

Doha flatly turned them down. And after a bitter standoff, the Saudi-led bloc is willing to substantially water down their demands in the final deal, sources familiar with the negotiations say.

A figure close to the Saudi government indicated the kingdom was ready to make concessions by reopening its airspace to Qatari aircraft - saving them from fuel-guzzling detours - if Doha stops funding its political opponents and restrains its media.

“Saudi is pushing (for) it - and Saudi holds the key card which is its airspace for Qatar,” the source told AFP.

The impasse snapped transport links, separated families, and cost billions of dollars in lost trade and investment, damage which the Gulf economies can ill afford as they try to power out of the coronavirus slump.

On Tuesday, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates officially threw their support behind efforts to heal the rift. But the Saudi source said the UAE, a staunch rival of Qatar, had been resistant.

“Emirati anger cannot be allowed to keep this fire burning... (It’s) time to put this issue to bed.”

Another Gulf-based source close to the negotiations told AFP that the Saudi-driven process could result in a peace of sorts but not fully resolve the underlying issues.