Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Tuesday that the Gulf states had signed an agreement on regional "solidarity and stability" at a summit aimed at resolving a three-year embargo against Qatar.

"These efforts helped us reach the agreement of the Al-Ula statement that will be signed at this summit, where we affirm our Gulf, Arab and Islamic solidarity and stability," he said, thanking the United States and Kuwait for mediating

The announcement came during a Gulf leaders' summit in the desert city of Al-Ula on Tuesday.

Qatar's ruler Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani was also there for the meeting aimed at ending the blockade.

What was the row about?

Tensions between the two neighbours came into the open in mid-2017, when Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic, trade, and travel ties with Qatar. The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt also joined the blockade. The four countries accused Doha of backing radical Islamist movements and cozying up to Saudi Arabia's arch-rival Iran.

The bloc also set out 13 demands for Qatar, including closing the Al Jazeera news network and downgrading links with Iran.

Qatar, which is home to the largest US military base in the region, said the boycott aimed to undermine the country's national sovereignty. The nation has some 2.3 million inhabitants, the overwhelming majority of whom are expats, and shares its only land border with the much larger Saudi Arabia.

Closing the rift

Kuwait has been acting as a mediator between the two sides. In December 2020, Foreign Minister Al Sabah signalled progress by saying that "all sides expressed their keenness for Gulf and Arab unity and stability" while discussing the issue.

At the time, Qatar said that any solution should be based on mutual respect.

"No country is in a position to impose any demands on another country ... Each country should decide its foreign policy," said Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

It was not immediately clear if Qatar accepted any of the demands previously listed by Riyadh and its backers in order to achieve the compromise announced on Monday.

However, a senior White House official told the Reuters news agency that Qatar will suspend lawsuits related to blockade under the new deal. The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have yet to comment on the news, but the official said it was "our expectation" that they would join Riyadh in lifting the blockade.

Victory for Jared Kushner?

Qatar's Al Thani had also praised White House senior adviser Jared Kushner for his efforts to bridge the gap during his Middle East tour in early December.

On Monday, the White House official said Kushner helped negotiate the latest deal. Kushner, who is the son-in-law of the outgoing US President Donald Trump, was allegedly flying to Saudi Arabia to attend the signing ceremony.

"It's just a massive breakthrough," the official told Reuters. "It will lead to more stability in the region."

Kushner is also said to have played an important  key role in a series of normalisation deals between Israel and several Arab states in 2020. The Middle East diplomatic offensive could be seen as Washington's push to form a united front against Iran.

This article first appeared on DW. Read the original here.

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