From: wolda002@umn.edu
Date: Mon Mar 23 2009 - 21:54:40 EST
SPECIAL REPORT: What Drives Qatar?
ANTHONY ZEITOUNI
Published: March 16, 2009
Qatar acted like the "mother of Palestine" by closing Israel's trade office
in Doha over the Gaza war, while Egypt did not even complain to the Israeli
ambassador in Cairo.
When U.S. Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, visited the Middle East, including stops in Damascus, Tel Aviv,
and Cairo, he heard unusual complaints from both Israel and Egypt. They
both complained about Qatar's reactions to the conflict in Gaza.
The mini-summit in Riyadh last week was a reconciliation meeting hosted by
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. Invitees included President Bashar Assad of
Syria, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah,
the emir of Kuwait. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the emir of Qatar,
was not invited because Mubarak made it clear that he would not attend if
Qatar received an invitation.
In his speech at the Saban Center in the Brookings Institution, just days
after his trip to Middle East, Kerry declared that "Qatar can't continue to
be an American ally on Monday that sends money to Hamas on Tuesday."
Why would Kerry choose to warn Qatar, an ally, when at the same time Kerry
endorses normal relations with Syria, which has most definitely not been an
ally of the United States? What influence did Israel and Egypt have on
Kerry's statement? Why did Kerry ask Saudi Arabia to pay for reconstruction
in Palestine when he criticized Qatar's contribution? What recently went
wrong with Egyptian-Qatari relations and Israeli-Qatari relations?
Egypt's president considers that his clash with Qatar is just as serious as
his conflict with Syria, and on the order of the Saudi-Syrian argument.
Mubarak's aids consider that Qatar's policies present a real threat to
Egypt. They blame Qatar's Al-Jazeera for criticizing Mubarak, his policies,
and his regime. Furthermore, they endorsed Mubarak's opponent.
In addition to the problems with Al-Jazeera, Mubarak's regime felt slighted
due to the manner in which Egypt was invited to the Arab Leaders summit in
Doha at the end of this month. They felt the emir of Qatar "sent an envoy
when he should send his prime minister."
A senior member of the Egyptian ruling party told me in confidence that
"Qatar should adjust its behavior with Egypt, the largest Arab country." He
added that he does not expect Mubarak to attend the Doha summit. In
reality, protocol does not require that a prime minister deliver the
invitations. Qatar did send the Minister of State Abdullah Bin Khalifa
al-Attiya, who is a well-known politician and an influential figure in
Qatar.
The list of complaints Egypt has about Qatar's "mistakes" is growing.
During the latest conflict in Gaza, Qatar acted like the "mother of
Palestine" by closing Israel's trade office in Doha. Meanwhile, Egypt did
not even complain to the Israeli ambassador in Cairo.
Secondly, Al-Jazeera influenced Arab public opinion during the Gaza crisis
both against Israel and also against the moderate Arabs countries,
including Egypt.
Thirdly, despite Egypt's strong disagreement, Qatar arranged a special and
extraordinary Arab summit in Doha for Gaza (the Gaza summit).
Mubarak, who does not like the growing and independent role of Qatar, knows
that beginning at the Doha Summit, Qatar will lead the Arab summit for one
year until the next meeting in 2010. Qatar's new mission will give them an
official position from which they can maximize their regional and
international role.
Qatar continues to be a mediator in Arab conflicts such as Sudan and
Palestine, in addition to the Doha deal regarding Lebanon. Qatar is the
permanent host of a number of international conferences such as the
Arab-Latin America summit at the end of this month.
Given its warm relations with Iran, Russia, and Europe, Qatar's role is
becoming "uncontrollable" and "ambiguous" in the eyes of Mubarak's regime,
which prompted Mubarak to complain to Kerry. He also requested that King
Abdullah of Saudi Arabia influence Qatari actions.
Israel, which had a growing relation with Qatar, was surprised by Qatar's
unexpected reactions during the Gaza crisis. Qatar temporarily broke off
relations with Israel by closing Israel's trade office in Doha, it loudly
criticized Israeli military actions toward Palestinian civilians, and it
opened Al-Jazeera's air 24/7 for live broadcasts from Gaza.
Israel would like to resume its relations with Qatar and it hopes to
achieve this with America's help.
Saudi's Abdullah plays a unique role in leading reconciliation between Arab
leaders. The Saudi king comprehends Qatar policies and role in the region
as well as Egypt's current position. Abdullah's relationship with the emir
of Qatar and the Qatari prime minister could be leveraged by
Qatari-Egyptian reconciliation before the Doha summit.
U.S. President Barack Obama, who is trying to set up a strategy to engage
the whole Middle East in the peace process, has nothing but good intentions
toward Qatar's contribution to his plan. The administration knows how to
manage any misunderstanding between the United States and its allies,
including Qatar. It will not jeopardize U.S. interests with minor conflicts
between America's friends. It will not allow any Middle East ally to impose
its own agenda on America's new strategy.
http://www.metimes.com/International/2009/03/17/special_report_what_drives_qatar/6437/
--Anthony Zeitouni (anthonygaz@gmail.com ) is a Washington-based conflict resolution researcher. His webpage is www.anthonyzeitouni.com