Oman minister in US to build on peace role in the region

▶ Yusuf bin Alawi wants to mediate in Palestinian and Yemen conflicts

The Omani Foreign Minister is in Washington this week to discuss mediation between Palestine and Israel and the warring parties in Yemen.

Yusuf bin Alawi touched down in the US capital in his second visit since July and was expected to meet Secretary of State Mike Pompeo overnight, and members of Congress.

Mr bin Alawi will also hold talks with President Donald Trump’s adviser to Israel, Jason Greenblatt, to highlight Muscat’s growing role in the Israel-Palestine peace process.

In the first meeting of its kind in more than 20 years, Oman’s ruler Sultan Qaboos hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in October, in a meeting that caused concern across the region.

“Israel is a state present in the region and we all understand that maybe it is time for Israel to be treated the same and to also bear the same obligations,” Mr bin Alwai told the Manama Dialogue after Mr Netanyahu’s visit.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also visited Oman in October to explore the possibility of restarting peace talks that have been stalled since 2016.

Robert Danin, the former head of the Quartet Mission in Jerusalem, on Tuesday tweeted from Muscat: “Omani officials compellingly explain that their recent engagement with senior Israelis and Palestinians reflects a genuine desire to see a true peace and Israel integrated into the Middle East.”

Mr Danin, a former senior US official and now a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and the Harvard Belfer Centre, told The National that Oman was ensuring its diplomacy in regards to Israel and Palestine was “synchronised with the Trump administration thinking”.

The White House is preparing to announce its longawaited peace plan during the first three months of next year, with some experts questioning whether conditions are right.

Recent developments in Israel and Palestine have served to exacerbate an already strained situation, and this could delay the release of the document.

“Oman’s efforts further expand on the regional dimension to supporting IsraeliPalestinian peace efforts,” Mr Danin said.

Oman’s peculiar diplomatic standing is not new. The nation has historically played key mediating roles in times of crisis, including the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, the First Gulf War in the early 90s and the nuclear deal with Iran under the Obama administration.

Mr bin Alawi will also hold talks with President Donald Trump’s adviser to Israel

Randa Slim, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, said that Oman was tying to make itself useful to the White House at a time when its GCC allies are involved in separate standoffs.

With Yemen, Muscat plays a role in border security and as a channel to the Houthi rebels, some of whose leaders live in Oman.

However, Ms Slim said: “There are different voices and power centres inside Oman working on Yemen, which might not always benefit the UN effort.”

She said that the US is exerting pressure on its partners in the region to help support UN envoy Martin Griffiths, but admitted that the US is limited in how far they could go.

“It is not in US interest to have any deal perceived to be in Houthis’ favour,” she said.

Stephen Seche, a former US ambassador to Yemen, said that Oman could play a role in bringing the warring Yemeni parties together because of its proximity to the country and its productive relationship with the Houthi leadership.

“Oman has hosted talks aimed at bringing the war to a close and may host the next round of talks scheduled for early next year,” Mr Seche said.