Bridging the Riyadh-Doha gap

The meeting between Qatar's Emir Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani and Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz last week came at a crucial time.

It is not important who took the initiative, or who was mediating; what is important is that a top level meeting took place and apparently produced a result which promises to ease the political tensions and settle the dispute between the two countries.

The Saudi-Qatar dispute was avoidable, yet lasted for many years. The tension between the two Gulf neighbours, which had built up over a number of years, erupted in June 2002, when Al Jazeera, the Qatari satellite TV station, broadcast a debate on Saudi Arabia's policy towards the Palestinian issue in the aftermath of the announcement of King Abdullah's Arab peace initiative.

The essence of the debate and the way the programme was moderated gave the Saudis the impression that its purpose was to communicate to the Arab viewers that Saudi Arabia had played a "negative role" in the Palestinian issue; some participants in the programme also sharply criticised the Saudi ruling family.

In response, Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador from Doha and boycotted the following GCC summit meeting in Qatar.

The strong Saudi reaction to the airing of the June 2002 TV programme was not an isolated event - a number of Arab and non-Arab states have, over the past 10 years, protested against the perceived unfair treatment that their policies have received in Al Jazeera's programmes.

In general, Qatar has been accused of using Al Jazeera as an instrument of the state's foreign policy.

Since 2002, however, the fallout of Qatar-Saudi tension has spread beyond the bilateral relationship and has in fact undermined the harmony within the GCC which is essential for the Council to function as an effective regional organisation.

Thus, the fractured relations between the two countries have hindered a number of joint development and integration projects. The impact of the Qatar-Saudi dispute has also been felt on Arab diplomatic efforts in general.

Both Saudi Arabia and Qatar have engaged in active regional diplomacy in a bid to defuse and solve a number of regional issues like the Hamas-PLO internal conflict, Lebanon's political instability and others.

However, the lack of coordination and conflict of interests and views between the two states has reduced the value of Gulf and Arab diplomacy and hindered genuine opportunities to settle outstanding problems.

The Saudi-Qatari summit meeting was attended by the two heads of state and other high level officials, but among the participants was a guest whose inclusion in such a political meeting could be seen as rather unusual.

Shaikh Hamad Bin Thamer Al Thani, chairman of Al Jazeera accompanied the Qatar ruler and was part of the official meeting. The Saudi King secured assurances from Qatar's leadership, as well as from Al Jazeera's top management, that the TV channel would stop "undermining" and "campaigning" against the Kingdom.

In response, Riyadh agreed to send its envoy back to Qatar, attend the GCC summit meeting in Doha, and allow Al Jazeera to open an office in Riyadh.

Important step

This deal is an important step forward in Qatar-Saudi relations but, more importantly, it could also be a crucial step towards the further development of GCC unity. Coming three months before the GCC meeting in Doha, the deal sheds a positive light on the forthcoming summit.

With rising tensions over the Iranian nuclear programme, the spiralling violence in Iraq and the spread of terrorist threats into countries bordering Iraq, most GCC states are facing security challenges that make it necessary to put aside political differences and find a united position.

In the past, GCC states often found themselves in a difficult position as they were forced to take sides in the rivalry between Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The current Saudi-Qatar rapprochement could give a boost to GCC unity and related diplomatic efforts.

In the coming months, the region is likely to face major challenges. Washington plans to gradually withdraw its troops from Iraq, potentially resulting in a collapse of security which would directly impact the neighbouring GCC states.

The UN Security Council is about to meet again to discuss the third round of economic and diplomatic sanctions likely to be imposed on Iran.

The looming failure of diplomatic efforts and the escalating tension between the US and Iran is increasing the likelihood of a military confrontation between the two sides in the form of an "accidental war".

The Gulf region would be directly impacted. Moreover, the US-sponsored "Middle East Peace Conference" aimed at settling the Palestinian issue is likely to be held soon and this will require intensive diplomatic efforts from the GCC states to secure a positive outcome.

The Saudi-Qatari rapprochement, therefore, could not have come at a more opportune and important moment.

Nicole Stracke is Researcher at the Security and Terrorism Department in the Gulf Research Centrein Dubai.