GIVEN that nations need to unite against the lurking danger, the Gulf Cooperation Council’s Al-Ula Summit came to open new paths, not only in the relations between the four countries – Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain – and Qatar, but also at the Arab level in general.
This is due to the fact that the clouds over the regional sky warn of a great storm, especially when realizing the objectives of the current US administration in its attempt to shake up the region, and perhaps bring back Barack Obama’s old plan, which was aimed to hand over the Arabian Peninsula to Iran (Shiite), and leave the North Africa to a Sunni power – a plan that will definitely stir up a long-term sectarian conflict.
That is why when Cairo opened its doors with a warm welcome to Doha, the latter responded warmly too. This affirms that the page of the old disagreement caused by evil powers that sought to divide the Gulf ranks has been closed forever.
Based on this fact, the words of Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, when he went to Cairo to complete the solid reconciliation formula that was achieved at the Al-Ula summit in Saudi Arabia, asserted that his country “seeks to restore warm and normal relations with Egypt”.
On the other hand, the strength of the Qatari-Saudi brothers emerged through the solidarity call of the Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Muhammad bin Salman after the publication of the American report, which was based only on speculations and aimed to stir up dust around Saudi Arabia and to revive the old Obama plans.
There is no doubt that the return of normal relations between Qatar and other GCC countries and Egypt is a natural result of the profound changes launched by Amir Tamim bin Hamad, after the previous leaders in his country realized that their continuation of the same policy would lead to an imbalance of power. They had thus handed the matter to the expert who opened the files of the alliances of his old country, and radically reconsidered and corrected the course of Qatari politics.
Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, I was in the United Arab Emirates. A dialogue took place between an Emirati official – one of the decision-makers in his country – and I regarding the effects of the crisis on the Gulf Cooperation Council. He said, “The differences will end ... they will not last forever”.
Here we are... as everyone hoped, the breakthrough was completed with the warm words of the Qatari minister, because the agreement among the Arab countries with political and economic weight undoubtedly prevents many of the risks and plots that saboteurs seek, from either within or outside the region.
Today in the face of the new reality, we must ignore the discordant voices that try to sabotage any achievement and rapprochement among the people of the same house. We must continue to develop the relations in a way that serves the Gulf and Arab solidarity that we desperately need. This is what the Amir of Qatar announced, and affirmed his endeavor to achieve it.
By Ahmed Al-Jarallah
Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times
