Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf countries are expected to sign an agreement on Tuesday to end a diplomatic crisis in the Gulf after 3 years.
The whole picture: A Saudi-led coalition severed ties with Qatar in 2017 and closed their airspace and sea routes to Qatar aircraft and vessels, citing Qatar’s alleged support for terrorist groups and relations with Iran. In recent weeks, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been under pressure from the Trump administration to end the dispute.
- The US maintains close ties with both Qatar and its rivals, but the Trump administration’s efforts to reconcile the parties have not yet been successful.
- Both Gulf states view the signing of the agreement as a gesture to the Trump administration and as part of their effort to clear the table to prepare for the incoming Biden government.
- Jared Kushner mediates between the parties and travels to Saudi Arabia to take part in the signing during the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit this week.
The latest: Prior to the signing of the agreement, the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister announced that Saudi Arabia and Qatar would open their land, air and sea borders from Monday night.
Send the news: Kushner travels to the GCC summit in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia, with White House envoy Avi Berkowitz and adviser Brian Hook, who helped negotiate the deal.
- The summit will be the first time that Qatari Emir Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani has visited Saudi Arabia since the 2017 crisis erupted. The leaders of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Kuwait will also attend.
- The leaders will sign an agreement that includes three confidence-building measures: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain will lift Qatar’s air and sea blockade; Qatar will withdraw all lawsuits against its three Gulf neighbors; and all parties will stop their media campaigns against each other.
Behind the scenes: The agreement was reached in principle during Kushner’s last visit to Saudi Arabia and Qatar a few weeks ago, where he met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Sheikh Tamim. Kushner has close relationships with both leaders.
- U.S. officials say Kushner, after meeting the Saudi crown prince, traveled with Hook to the capital, Doha, while leaving the closest aid to Berkowitz and Adam Boehler in Saudi Arabia. The two mediate talks between the Saudis and the Cathars over the phone in real time until a draft agreement is reached.
- Over the past few weeks, final talks have been held with the Saudi and Qatar to ensure that both sides are committed to the understanding reached, officials told me.
- The White House has also campaigned for the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt – all three have reservations about the deal, as they view Qatar in a negative light and do not believe Qatar is sincere.
- The agreement almost fell apart on Sunday when a last-minute miscommunication led to new tensions between the Saudis and the Cathars.
- Kushner and his team were due to leave Sunday afternoon, but postponed their trip. A source told me that Kushner and his team were forced to negotiate with the Saudis and the Qataris Sunday night until a solution was found. They left Washington early Monday morning on their way to Saudi Arabia.
What they say: A senior diplomat from one of the Gulf countries told me the agreement is a step in the right direction and contains positive developments, but it does not mean the end of the Gulf rift.
- “Some issues have been resolved, but the root causes of the rift – bad personal relations between the leaders and major policy differences over Iran, Turkey and the Muslim Brotherhood – are still there,” the diplomat told me.
The conclusion: The agreement, which will be signed on Tuesday, would be a last-ditch effort for Kushner and the Trump administration before President-elect Joe Biden takes office on January 20.