Saudi Arabia opens its borders with Qata after Trump makes final push
Qatar's ruling emir has arrived in Saudi Arabia and was greeted with an embrace by the kingdom's crown prince, following an announcement that the Saudis would end a yearslong embargo on the Gulf Arab state.
The decision to op en b orders was the first major step towards ending the diplomatic crisis that has deeply divided US defence partners, frayed societal ties and torn apart a traditional alliance of Arab states.
The arrival of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in the kingdom' s ancient desert city of A l-u law as broadcast live on Saudi TV. He was seen descending from his plane and being greeted with a hug by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The emir is in Al-ula for an annual summit of Gulf Arab leaders that is expected to produce a detente between Qatar and four Arab states that have boycotted the country and cut transport and diplomatic links with it since mid -2017 over Doha's support for Islamist groups and ties with Iran.
The diplomatic breakthrough came after a final push by the outgoing Trump administration and fellow Gulf state Kuwait tomediate an end to the crisis. It was not until late on Monday - on the eve of the summit and just ahead of Joe Biden's inauguration - that the major step to ending the spat was announced.
The timing was auspicious: Saudi Arabia may be seeking to grant the Trump administration a final diplomatic win and remove stumbling blocks to building ties with the Biden administration, which is expected to take a firmer stance towards the kingdom.
Qatar's only land border has been mostly closed since June mid-2017, when Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain launched a boycott of the small but influential Persian Gulf country.
The Saudi border, which Qatar relied on for the import of dairy products, constructi on materials and other goods, opened briefly during the past three years to allow Qataris into Saudi Arabia to perform the Islamic hajj pilgrimage.
It was unclear what concessions Qatar made in its policies.
The emir has only attended the Gulf Co-operation Council summit once - when it was hosted by Kuwait - since the boycott started. He sent an envoy to the following two summits, held in Saudi Arabia.
While the Saudi decision to end the embargo marks a milestone in resolving the spat, the path towards full reconciliation is far from guaranteed. The rift b et ween Abu Dha - bi and Doha has been deep - est, with the UAE and Qatar at sharp ideological odds.
Th eU AE' s foreign affairs minister An war Garg ash tweeted late on Monday that his country was keen to restore Gulf unity but cautioned: "We have more work to do."
The summit is expected to also see some form of detente between Qatar and the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain. The meeting in Al-ula would traditionally be chaired by Saudi King Salman, though his son and heir, the crown prince, may instead lead it. Sheikh Tamim is expected to attend a signing ceremony with Prince Mohammed to declare a new page in relations.