Qatar-Saudi patch-up bad for Arab Spring?
\nPublished: July 25, 2011 at 3:37 PM<\/p>\n
DOHA, Qatar, July 25 (UPI) — Signs of deepening ties between Qatar and Saudi Arabia after a decade of differences could mean trouble for the Arab Spring and media freedom in the region, the Foreign Policy Web site said.<\/p>\n
An analysis by United Arab Emirates columnist and microblogger Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi on the Web site sets out to explain “How Saudi Arabia and Qatar became friends again — and why their rapprochement could mean an early end for the Arab Spring.”<\/p>\n
The roller-coaster-like diplomatic relations between the two energy-rich neighbors dates to 1992 when a border clash caused the death of two guards. Relations went downhill from there.<\/p>\n
Several incidents marked increasing tensions between the neighbors, some of them caused by Saudi ire over al-Jazeera’s airing of television programs that offended Riyadh.<\/p>\n
However, in subsequent contacts Qatari overtures managed to calm the Saudis and relations improved further after al-Jazeera was ordered “not to tackle any Saudi issue without referring to the higher management,” Qassemi said, citing e-mail sent by an al-Jazeera employee to The New York Times.<\/p>\n
Recent rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Qatar led to the Qatar television channel softening its media coverage of Saudi political developments, in particular those concerning Saudi dissidents, Qassemi said.<\/p>\n
Qatari and Saudi ties are growing warmer, he said. For instance, in the past few weeks, Qatar Airways has been allowed to operate a lot more flights to Saudi Arabia — from 35 to 60 per week.<\/p>\n
In September, a delegation of 100 Saudi businessmen will visit Qatar to discuss joint business opportunities, including the establishment of a Saudi-Qatari bank and joint industrial zone.<\/p>\n
Al-Jazeera, long-banned in the kingdom, has also been given the green light to set up a Saudi bureau.<\/p>\n
The friendly relations are likely to continue at least till 2022 when Doha will play host to the FIFA World Cup, for which it has earmarked $65 billion-$100 billion and invested considerable political capital, Qassemi said.<\/p>\n
“For the tournament to go as smoothly as possible, a pragmatic Qatar will need the full cooperation of its largest and only land neighbor,” he said.<\/p>\n
Saudi firms are likely to be awarded lucrative infrastructure contracts or supply essential raw materials to Qatar over the coming decade before the World Cup.<\/p>\n
“We will likely see Doha’s freewheeling foreign policy stay within the bounds of Riyadh’s interests,” Qassemi said.<\/p>\n
“Above all, Qatar will spare no effort to make certain that nothing stands in the way of its global coming-out party.”
\n..source<\/a><\/p>\n