Gulf deal leaves the ball in Qatar's court

Wealthy Gulf Arab states have reached a "vague" compromise to thawtensions over the Muslim Brotherhood with Qatar which has yet to prove its goodintentions, analysts say.Thursday's deal between the six Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers did not,however, mention the return of Saudi, Emirati, and Bahraini ambassadors withdrawnfrom Doha in an unprecedented move on March 5."The ball is now in Qatar's camp," Saudi former diplomat Abdullah al-Shammari toldAFP.Qatar is accused of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, but Saudi Arabia and otherGulf monarchies have long been hostile to the Islamist movement.They fear that its brand of grass-roots activism and political Islam could underminetheir own authority.Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain had publicly accused Qatar of meddling in theirinternal affairs, a charge Doha dismissed.After Kuwaiti mediation, Thursday's extraordinary meeting in Riyadh ended with theGCC ministers agreeing that the policies of member states should not underminethe "interests, security and stability" of each other, a statement said.Nor should they impinge on the "sovereignty" of another member.The statement, described by Emirati political science professor Abdulkhaleq Abdullaas "vague and indecisive" despite "reflecting reconciliation", did not name Qatar orelaborate on the deal."The Qataris asked that the statement remain general and not directed towardsthem," he said.But "despite the vagueness in the statement's wording, Doha knows well thedemands of the three countries," said Shammari, calling the agreement "a first steptowards easing tensions".The three monarchies said in March that Doha had failed to comply with a non-interference commitment by Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.During a tripartite meeting in Riyadh in November, Kuwait's emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah sought to ease tensions between Saudi King Abdullah and Tamim.- Calm after the storm -On Thursday, the foreign ministers agreed on an "implementation mechanism" tothe November agreement in a meeting described by participants as "calm" in contrast to a reportedly "stormy" March 4 summit.Abdulla said Qatar has already implemented part of the deal by asking severalEmirati and Saudi Muslim Brotherhood opposition figures in Doha to leave, and willsoon expel more foreign Islamists.Another bone of contention is influential Doha-based satellite broadcaster Al-Jazeera, seen by critics as pro-Muslim Brotherhood which Saudi Arabia hasdesignated a "terrorist" group.Qatar on Thursday agreed to tone down Al-Jazeera but "this will be gradual",Abdulla said.The Saudis had also demanded that Qatar end its alleged support for Yemen's ShiiteHuthi rebels along the kingdom's southern border."We are yet to see" if Qatar will implement this part of the agreement, Abdulla said.Mohammad al-Musfer, political science professor at the University of Qatar, insiststhat Doha's "foreign policy will not change, regardless of the circumstances".He said Thursday's accord does not "demand concessions on the policies memberstates are committed to, based on the principle of sovereignty".Musfer said Qatar agreed to the "wording" of the deal, but not "on the corematters"."Any GCC member has the right to host whoever it pleases in its territories as longas this figure does not harm anyone," he said.On March 18, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal warned there will berapprochement between Riyadh and Doha only when Qatar modifies its policies.His counterpart Khalid al-Attiya defended Qatar's independent foreign policy, sayingit "provides a forum for all those who do not belong to any bloc to come andexchange their views."But Attiya also said last month that this does not mean that Doha agrees with them.A Gulf official, requesting anonymity, told AFP that the envoys of Saudi Arabia, theUnited Arab Emirates and Bahrain will not return to Doha until Qatar demonstratesits good intentions.According to Abdulla, and despite Kuwaiti certainty, "there is doubt in the UAE andSaudi Arabia" that Qatar will keep its promises.