David Schenker, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, said that Washington hopes to bring the parties to the Gulf crisis within weeks, indicating the flexibility the US administration found in the ongoing talks to turn the page on the crisis that erupted in early June 2017.
Schenker explained - in his speech during a webinar organized by the American Brookings Institution - that no radical change has been achieved in the Gulf crisis that would lead to a quick solution, but he said that the states noted some flexibility in the talks.
The crisis erupted when the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt cut off their diplomatic relations with Qatar, and closed all borders with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism, which Qatar strongly denied accusing the blockading countries of interfering with the independence of its sovereign decision.
Dispute and Iran
Schenker said, "I do not want to go into diplomatic details in this regard, but there is a move. I would like to say that it is a matter of weeks," explaining that the two sides of the Gulf crisis "are sticking to their position ... but there is recognition that this distracts attention from Iran."
US Under Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker expects an opening in the Gulf crisis "within weeks" pic.twitter.com/ioNPbUXKJE
- ZaidBenjamin Zaid Benjamin (@ ZaidBenjamin5) September 9, 2020
The same US official previously said - yesterday, in a telephone briefing to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - that the Gulf dispute only serves Iran's interests, explaining that the crisis forced Qatari planes to cross over Iran, which leads to Tehran obtaining the proceeds of the fees it receives in exchange for that transit. .
The same official said in a seminar today that the US administration is engaged in diplomatic efforts to end the Gulf dispute at the highest level, including President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Two days ago, the White House said that President Trump urged Riyadh - in a phone call with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz - to negotiate with other Gulf states to resolve the dispute with Qatar.
Kushner's permit
Also, Jared Kushner, senior advisor to the US President, stated at the beginning of this month - in an interview with Al Jazeera - that the leaders of the Gulf states believe that the blockade of Qatar has been longer than it should, and that they want to solve it.
Kushner’s speech came shortly after his meeting with the accompanying delegation, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in the Qatari capital, Doha.
It is noteworthy that, since the outbreak of the Gulf crisis, Kuwait has made a series of attempts to heal the Gulf rift, but these have not been successful.