Qatar's Aljazeera undermines reconciliation efforts

While Qatar was expected to encourage its media arms to tone down their rhetoric towards the four Arab countries, which all expressed positive views of the Saudi-led reconciliation drive, Al-Jazeera TV channel launched a familiar attack on the Arab quartet, particularly the UAE, spreading rumours about the Emiratis on several files, especially the Yemeni conflict.

Some experts are wondering whether Doha, which should have an interest in defusing the crisis and ending the boycott by its neighbours, is in the process of succumbing to pressure from its close ally Turkey.

These experts argue the Turks have a direct political and strategic interest in isolating Qatar from its immediate surroundings in order to score financial and economic gains, many of which have already been achieved through generous Qatari financial support to Ankara during the height of its severe economic crisis.

Qatari media platforms are working to undermine solutions to the dispute that has been going on for about three and a half years, about two weeks before an upcoming Gulf summit in Riyadh.

Although recent attempts to end the Qatari crisis have been serious, confirmed by optimistic and flexible political statements, the lack of realistic details has continued to raise concerns that obstacles still remain and that some disagreements are intractable, which could make a comprehensive solution elusive.

The recent Qatari media campaign against neighbouring Gulf countries brought a reconciliation drive back to square one, triggering doubts and raising news suspicions about Doha’s intentions.