US mediation team arrives in Abu Dhabi to discuss the Qatar crisis
▶ Presence of top ambassadors from US reflects concern felt in Washington
Retired US general Anthony Zinni and deputy assistant secretary of state for Arabian Gulf affairs Timothy Lenderking arrived in Abu Dhabi yesterday as part of a tour of the region and an effort to break the stalemate in the Gulf dispute.
The envoys landed in Kuwait on Monday with plans to visit the countries involved – the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and Qatar – and to try to take them to the negotiating table.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, met the envoys at Sea Palace.
Attending the meeting was US ambassador to the UAE, Barbara Leaf and Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed, among other dignitaries.
Kuwait has taken the lead in mediating in the dispute between Qatar and its four fellow Arab nations who accuse Doha of supporting terrorism and other policies that destabilise the region.
The US ambassador to Kuwait, Lawrence Silverman, said Washington’s deployment of negotiators reflected its concern. “We want to see an end to this dispute as quickly as possible, for the sake of the region,” Mr Silverman said.
Mr Zinni, a widely respected and well-connected figure in the region, joined the US diplomatic team this month.
Its job is to “maintain a constant pressure on the ground,” US secretary of state Rex Tillerson said when announcing Mr Zinni’s appointment on August 3.
Mr Zinni served as head of the US central command between 1997 and 2000, a position he used to cement US military relations with all the GCC partners.
A delegation of high-ranking Kuwaiti royal family members was sent across the region this week to deliver letters handwritten by Kuwait’s ruler in the latest attempt to end the Qatar crisis.
The envoys – who included Kuwait’s foreign minister, Sheikh Sabah Al Khaled, and Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah, minister of state for cabinet affairs – met Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, on Tuesday to discuss possible ways of bringing the dispute to and end.
The same officials met with Prince Mohammed bin Salman, crown prince of Saudi Arabia, in Riyadh on Monday in an attempt to create a “direct dialogue” between Qatar and the quartet of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, Kuwaiti news agency Kuna said.
The four countries severed relations with Qatar on June 5 over Doha’s links to extremist groups. They have boycotted Doha and cut off trade and travel links.
Several high-ranking officials have attempted to resolve the dispute, including Sheikh Sabah, Mr Tillerson, and the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
We want to see an end to this dispute as quickly as possible, for the sake of the region