Gulf Crisis: King Mohammed VI Dispatches Envoy to Gulf, Commends Kuwait’s Efforts to Defuse Tension
King Mohammed VI has dispatched Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita as his special envoy to several Gulf countries, part of the sovereign’s efforts to help ease the current tension poisoning relations between Qatar and its neighbors.
In the context of this Gulf tour, Nasser Bourita delivered this Tuesday a verbal message from King Mohammed VI to the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
Following the audience, the Moroccan top diplomat said King Mohammed VI voiced full support to Sheikh Sabah’s efforts to heal the Gulf rift and to contain the inter-Gulf crisis through dialogue among the GCC countries, reported the Kuwaiti News Agency (KUNA).
On Sunday, Kuwait’s Foreign Minister announced that the Emir spoke with officials in Qatar who indicated that Doha is ready to both talk and listen in an effort to find a speedy resolution to the Gulf rift.
The diplomatic crisis erupted on June 4, when Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates announced cutting ties with Qatar for its alleged support of “terrorist groups” and for “undermining the security of Gulf states.” Qatar rejected the allegations, calling them “unfounded.”
The three Gulf countries, besides Egypt and Yemen, banned all air, land and sea transport with Doha, leaving the tiny Gulf emirate physically and politically isolated from the rest of the region.
Other of their allies followed suit and broke off diplomatic ties with Qatar including Mauritania, Maldives, and Niger, while Jordan downgraded its diplomatic representation in the tiny Gulf emirate.
Before coming to Kuwait, Nasser Bourita visited the United Arab Emirates where he conveyed on Monday a verbal message from the Monarch to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
The contents of the message were not disclosed, but in all likelihood, they were related to the ongoing crisis in the Gulf, as Morocco has officially offered its mediation in the rift that has shaken the Gulf.
“If the parties wish so, Morocco is ready to offer its good offices conducive to a calm, franc and comprehensive dialog on the basis of non-interference in domestic affairs, the fight against religious extremism, clarity in positions and loyalty in commitments,” the Moroccan Foreign Ministry said in a statement Sunday.
The North African Kingdom has adopted “a constructive neutrality,” but this “does not confine it to a passive observation of a disturbing escalation between brotherly countries.”
Since the outbreak of the crisis, King Mohammed VI maintained “close and continuous contact with different parties,” and called on all parties to show restraint and wisdom in order to defuse tension and overcome the crisis with a view to “finding a lasting settlement to the causes that have led to the current situation in line with the spirit that has always characterized the GCC.”
On Monday, Morocco announced it will send planes loaded with foodstuff to Qatar in a sign of solidarity and mutual aid that has no political dimension.
“This decision comes in accordance with the precepts of the Islamic religion, which encourages solidarity and mutual assistance among Islamic people, in particular during this blessed month of Ramadan,” said the Moroccan Foreign Ministry in a statement.
Morocco’s commitment to end the Gulf crisis highlights the strong ties binding the Kingdom and Gulf countries.
