Gulf ‘talks’ turn sour, stirrings of Qatari opposition grow

The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, attends the opening ceremony of the Hamad port in Doha, Qatar, on September 5, 2017. Photo: Qatar News Agency via Reuters

The crisis in the Gulf turned sour over the weekend and is clearly far from over, following a phone call on Friday between Qatar’s Emir Tamim Bin Hamad and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman.

Initial reports said that Tamim offered to sit down and discuss the ongoing dispute with members of the Quartet – an alliance headed by Saudi Arabia that includes Egypt, Bahrain, and the UAE. Those states collectively broke off relations with Doha in June, accusing the 37-year-old emir of cuddling up to Iran, embracing non-state players that spread terror throughout the Arab World, allying himself with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, and spreading “hate and venom” through the region via the Qatari state-funded al-Jazeera

Viewed by millions around the world, al-Jazeera has played host to notorious figures in the past such as Osama Bin Laden, Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal, and Abu Mohammad al-Golani, leader of the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra. Qatar has, of course, denied all charges of state terrorism and refused to alter its policies, claiming that the Quartet’s demands “infringe” on its sovereignty.

Whatever was discussed over the phone between the Qatari and Saudi leaders, the outcomes were not good. Hours later, Saudi Arabia suspended any further talks with Qatar and a chief adviser to the royal court in Riyadh accused Tamim and his father, Hamad Bin Khalifa, of spreading unrest and terror in the neighborhood, branding the latter “Gaddafi of the Gulf.”

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