Members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) brokered a consensus last week after a rift that saw Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain withdraw their Ambassadors from Qatar.
During a meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh Thursday, GCC Foreign Ministers conducted a “comprehensive review of measures relating to foreign and security policies,” according to a statement from the Gulf group.
“Participants agreed to adopt measures that ensure working at a group level and that policies of any individual state should not affect the interests, security or stability of any other member state and without affecting the sovereignty of any of its states,” the statement said.
Last month, in an unprecedented split between Gulf Arab allies, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain withdrew their Ambassadors from Qatar, saying Doha had not implemented a GCC deal reached in Riyadh in November to avoid interfering in each other’s affairs.
The three countries accused Doha of interfering in the internal affairs of countries in the Gulf region by backing Islamist movements in Egypt, Syria and elsewhere. Qatar denied it interferes anywhere but vowed to stick to its foreign policy.
According to the GCC Thursday, “the Foreign Ministers stressed their government’s agreement to implement the Riyadh accord, the basic principles of which stem from the Gulf Cooperation Council’s core system.”
“They agreed on the importance of the careful implementation on what was agreed in order to safeguard all gains that have been achieved and to move … toward a phase of strong cohesion that can ensure overcoming obstacles and challenges and meet the hopes and aspiration of the citizens of each of the member states.”
The GCC statement also praised Kuwait, through the leadership of Kuwaiti Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, “to reach the desired results.” Both Oman and Kuwait had reportedly been working to mend the rift between Qatar and its neighbors Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain.
Meanwhile, the Saudi, UAE and Bahraini Ambassadors will not return to Doha until Qatar demonstrates its good intentions, Saudi diplomatic sources said Saturday. The sources told London-based Al Arab newspaper that Qatar “will commit to its Emir's pledge and expel Muslim Brotherhood figures from Doha in addition to denying them any support abroad”.
Doha has also pledged to stop its direct and indirect support of instigative networks, whether based in Qatar or abroad.
Sources said that the GCC leaders would likely wait for two months to assess Qatar's co-operation.
Source: Al Arabiya; Al Arab
