Qatar foreign minister says GCC spat only ‘differences in opinion’

Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah downplayed the unprecedented GCC divisons.

KUWAIT CITY // Qatar has resolved its dispute with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain, according to foreign minister Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah.

The spat was nothing more than “differences in opinion”, Mr Attiyah told reporters in Kuwait. The resolution came at an April 17 meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, and the results aren’t “considered concessions by anyone”, he said. It is up to Qatar’s fellow Gulf Arab countries to decide on sending their ambassadors back to Doha, he said.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain recalled their envoys from Qatar in March, accusing the state that hosts Al Jazeera television of undermining regional security. Qatar’s backing for the Muslim Brotherhood, especially in Egypt, has drawn criticism from other Arabian Gulf nations that have cracked down on the Islamist organisation.

“Everyone sees it in their interest to resolve this issue,” Salman Shaikh, director of the Brookings Doha Center, said. “Whether its Abu Dhabi, Doha or Riyadh, there has been an acceptance that while there are issues that they have to discuss, they have to resolve them and sort out the tension.”

The dispute between the Gulf Cooperation Council states threatened to undermine efforts to further integrate their economies.

Qatar sent billions of dollars of aid to Egypt during Mohammed Morsi’s one-year presidency. Since Mr Morsi’s overthrow by the army in July last year, Egypt has returned some of the money. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait have backed the military takeover and pledged US$15 billion (Dh55bn) in aid.

Oman’s foreign minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah said the ambassadors recalled from Qatar are on holiday and will return to their posts, Al Hayat newspaper reported April 20.

* Bloomberg News