Baku, Azerbaijan, June 5
By Elena Kosolapova – Trend:
Resolution of the diplomatic crisis around Qatar will likely to take several months, Kenneth Katzman, a senior analyst at the Congressional Research Service, which conducts research and analysis for the US Congress, believes.
“It will likely be resolved after several months as Saudi Arabia and UAE realize that the US and other countries are not supporting their maximum demands. They will likely drop some demands and Qatar will make some concessions,” Katzman told Trend by email.
The expert believes that the Qatar- Gulf crisis will not involve military confrontation. He also noted that the main reason for the crisis is that Saudi Arabia and UAE do not tolerate Qatar support for groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.
On June 5, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt broke off diplomatic relations and communication with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism and interfering in their internal affairs. Later, the Maldives, Mauritius, and Mauritania also announced the severance of diplomatic relations. Jordan and Djibouti reduced the level of their diplomatic missions in Qatar.
Later, Kuwait, which is serving as a mediator between Qatar and the Gulf States, handed the demands of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain over to Doha. The requests include the severance of Qatar’s relations with Iran, closure of Turkey’s military base on Qatar's territory and a shutdown of the Al Jazeera TV channel. Doha was given 10 days to implement the demands, the deadline expired on Sunday.
Qatar has called the conditions impossible and urged for their revision.
Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova