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?????????????????????????????????????????????????Saturday, June 24, 2017
Bonfire of vanities: Saudi demands expose fear and loathing of Qatar
Saudi-led alliance has list of 13 demands to end blockade on Qatar. Middle East Eye sifts their content
Egyptians burn Qatari flag in 2013 after counter-coup against Muslim Brotherhood (AFP)--Turkish troops arrive in Doha (Reuters)
Saudi-led alliance has list of 13 demands to end blockade on Qatar. Middle East Eye sifts their content
Egyptians burn Qatari flag in 2013 after counter-coup against Muslim Brotherhood (AFP)--Turkish troops arrive in Doha (Reuters)
]Al Jazeera's main studio in Doha (AFP)
Suraj Sharma-Saturday 24 June 2017
Saudi Arabia and its allies have issued 13 demands for Qatar to meet if a
blockade is to be lifted. The list shows their main concern is not
Qatar's financing of terrorists and cosying up to Iran, but instead a
combustible mix of existential fear and attempts to diminish Doha's
influence and wealth.
Also clear, given the contradictions and incorrect claims, is that the
list was prepared haphazardly after the international community and the
Muslim world remained sceptical of Saudi and UAE motives for imposing
the blockade on Qatar.
Notable for its absence is any demand regarding Hamas - the Palestinian
group that Saudi Arabia and its allies have called "extremist" during
the five weeks of diplomatic crisis.
Middle East Eye, which also finds itself targeted in the list, has sifted through each demand in detail, in order.
Demand 1: Curb diplomatic ties
with Iran and close its diplomatic missions there. Expel members of
Iran's Revolutionary Guard and cut off any joint military cooperation
with Iran. Only trade and commerce with Iran that complies with US and
international sanctions will be permitted.
The ties between Qatar and Iran are by no means those of allies. Qatar
and Iran share a major natural gas field, which means Doha must maintain
minimal ties with Tehran and cannot take the ultra-hawkish Saudi
position.
Doha and Tehran are at opposite ends of the ideological spectrum. This
is clearest in Syria, where Shia Muslim Iran backs the Assad government
while Sunni Muslim Doha supports Turkish-backed rebel forces. In this
light, it becomes difficult to give credence to claims of military
cooperation between Doha and Tehran.
As for trade, the UAE is one of Tehran's biggest trade partners. The UAE
played a major role in helping Tehran bust US and international
sanctions by facilitating a gold-for-oil deal. Recent media reports
based on Turkish statistics indicate that this sanctions-busting gold trade could still be ongoing.
Demand 2: Immediately terminate
the Turkish military presence currently in Qatar and end any joint
military cooperation with Turkey inside of Qatar.
Turkey has taken pains to assure other Gulf countries that any Turkish
military presence in the Gulf is not to threaten any of them but to
provide a bulwark against unspecified "common threats", which could
potentially include Iran, making the Saudi demand for withdrawal
contrary to its own interests.
There are a few dozen Turkish troops in Doha. Seeing a tiny Turkish
presence as a bigger threat than Iran's easy reach across the Gulf at
any point also reveals the real motive of the demand is to wrest Qatar
of its sovereignty.
For Doha to accept this demand would mean allowing interference in its
sovereign affairs. Turkey, too, is unlikely to even entertain such
thoughts, given its determination to not allow third-party meddling in
its affairs.
Although highly unlikely, any decision on troop withdrawal from Turkey
would come as a result of domestic pressure, where critics have been
questioning the need for a Turkish base there since details of the deal
began to emerge in 2014. Domestic critics have called the base a
projection of the neo-Ottoman dreams held by the Turkish president.
Demand 3: Sever all ties to
'terrorist organisations' - specifically the Muslim Brotherhood, the
Islamic State group, al-Qaeda and Lebanon's Hezbollah. Formally declare
those entities to be terrorist groups.
Doha might be the victim of its own ambitions and of Western betrayal
here. Right from the post-9/11 days when Qatar agreed to the Afghan
Taliban opening a representation office in Qatar with Western blessing,
the tiny Gulf country looked to be the neutral venue where even the
harshest of adversaries could meet and talk.
Qatar did not even recognise the Taliban between 1996 and 2001.
With the exception of IS and al-Qaeda, Doha has looked to maintain its
role as a neutral and safe venue for potential talks by allowing the
presence of representatives of movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood
on its territory.
The Saudis and other Gulf countries view the Muslim Brotherhood as the
main threat to their continued existence, but the international
community – including Britain and the US - has strong reservations about
designating the non-violent movement as "terrorist".
Doha is going to be hard-pressed to accept this demand, given that it
even succeeded in convincing the Palestinian group Hamas to amend its
charter and adopt a softer and more positive tone.
Demand 4: Stop all means of
funding for individuals, groups or organisations that have been
designated as terrorists by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Bahrain, the
US and other countries.
Qatar has rejected claims of such funding from the first moment they were made. No evidence has been provided of such funding.
Including the US in this demand indicates the tenuous nature of the
claim. The US does not need the Saudi-led coalition to make demands on
its behalf. The US recently signed a $22bn fighter jet deal with Qatar,
something it would not do if it believed Qatar was an enemy, nor would
it continue to base 10,000 US troops there.
Demand 5: Hand over 'terrorist
figures' and wanted individuals from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and
Bahrain to their countries of origin. Freeze their assets, and provide
any desired information about their residency, movements and finances.
Again there is no indication that Qatar has refused to cooperate with
its Gulf Cooperation Council members within the framework of existing
agreements or bilateral agreements with these states, including
extradition agreements.
It is a demand Qatar might find difficult to accept if it wants to
continue its role as a neutral and fair interlocutor and venue for
negotiations between various feuding factions, especially if they
represent non-violent movements.
Demand 6: Shut down Al Jazeera and its affiliate stations.
Soon after its establishment, Qatar's state-funded Al Jazeera network
quickly became the region's only broadcaster able to provide coverage on
a par with its established Western counterparts. A huge budget and a
drive to recruit the best journalists from around the globe increased
its stature.
The network's stance, however, often meant it was rejected both by the
West as being too Muslim-focused and by the region's despots as inciting
revolt.
In fairness to Saudi concerns, the network's Arabic-language channel has
pushed a stronger line backing popular street movements in the region,
making the Saudis, the Emiratis and others nervous.
The Al Jazeera network has reflected the view of the royal palace, and
has been careful to tame its coverage of Yemen in Saudi Arabia's favour
to reflect its neighbour's current anti-Iran policies. The channel's
coverage of domestic issues, such as modern slavery, has been muted.
Demand 7: End interference in
sovereign countries' internal affairs. Stop granting citizenship to
wanted nationals from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain. Revoke
Qatari citizenship for existing nationals where such citizenship
violates those countries' laws.
A demand that is vague and will prove difficult to monitor even if it is
the case. Conversely, the presentation of such a list of demands in
itself can be construed as interference in Qatar's sovereign affairs.
Given the intricate family and tribal links between the nationals of
Gulf countries, multiple citizenship is common and depriving citizenship
rights to individuals without enough evidence to warrant it could lead
to grave human rights violations.
Demand 8: Pay reparations and
compensation for loss of life and other, financial losses caused by
Qatar's policies in recent years. The sum will be determined in
coordination with Qatar.
Another vaguely and highly contestable demand. With no specific
compensation sums or amount of financial loss mentioned, and also no
concrete evidence, this is impossible for any independent state to
accept.
Demand 9: Align itself with the
other Gulf and Arab countries militarily, politically, socially and
economically, as well as on economic matters, in line with an agreement
reached with Saudi Arabia in 2014.
Qatar is already part of the Saudi-led Islamic military alliance. It is
also a fully-integrated member of the GCC. Its economic interests as a
major exporter of hydrocarbons means its economic direction is aligned
with that of Saudi Arabia.
The only difference appears to be Doha's refusal to adopt the same tone
as the Saudis on Iran because of its shared South Pars gas field, and
Qatar's backing of popular democratic movements across the region,
excluding the Gulf.
Still, this might prove to be one of the demands Doha will find easier
and more practical to comply with if the blockade against it is lifted
first.
Demand 10: Stop all contacts
with the political opposition in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and
Bahrain. Hand over all files detailing Qatar's prior contacts with and
support for those opposition groups.
More signs of a hastily cobbled-together list of demands. Any political
opposition in the mentioned countries are strictly monitored by these
repressive governments. No evidence has been provided to justify claims
of such Qatari actions.
There is little to indicate that Qatar would stand to gain by fomenting
trouble in its own backyard. In fact, it would stand to lose as its
routes to export natural gas, its biggest source of revenue, would be
jeopardised.
Demand 11: Shut down news
outlets that Qatar funds, directly and indirectly, including Arabi21,
Rassd, Al Araby Al-Jadeed and Middle East Eye.
MEE is an independently funded London-based news site dedicated to
providing in-depth, impartial and factual coverage of the Middle East.
Reports from countries such as Turkey, Iraq and Syria show that MEE is
dedicated to objectivity. It has not hesitated from critical reporting
of Qatar allies including Turkey when provable by facts. It has not
spared Qatar either, for instance MEE published a series of articles on
the ill-treatment of foreign workers used to build its infrastructure.
MEE has also not shied away from covering issues of regional importance
that place Riyadh and Abu Dhabi in a very poor light, resulting in
access to the site being blocked in those countries and MEE becoming a
target of their ire.
Demand 12: Agree to all the demands within 10 days of them being submitted to Qatar, or the list becomes invalid.
It is unlikely that Doha will even be able to evaluate these demands,
which often seek to deprive it of its sovereignty or involve instances
that don't even concern the country - such as the demand to shut the MEE
- within 10 days, let alone agree to any or some of them.
Demand 13: Consent to monthly
audits for the first year after agreeing to the demands, then once per
quarter during the second year. For the following 10 years, Qatar would
be monitored annually for compliance.
A demand that is tantamount to Qatar accepting its vassal status to the
Saudis and UAE. There is no country on record that has ever acceded to
such a demand, unless defeated in war.