Qatari Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani went on a tour of three Arab international locations this week, establishing with Jordan, passing via Tunisia and ending with Algeria. The emir is the country’s foreign minister and with him was once the Qatari finance minister.
Though the legitimate aim of the tour as cited by means of the Qatari reputable media was to “discuss bolstering bilateral relations, changing views on regional issues, and the modern day international developments,” the emir regarded to be following in the footsteps of his ally Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkey’s military intervention in Syria and Libya would no longer have been viable without Qatari support, especially as Turkey is in serious economic difficulties. A few days before beginning his tour, Al-Thani telephoned Erdogan to “discuss things of mutual interest.”
“It doesn’t required reasoning to wager what those ‘matters of mutual interest’ are,” said one Gulf analyst in Dubai. “Erdogan is spearheading the effort to resurrect terrorism in Libya and bolster the so-called political umbrella of terror businesses in the Ikhwan [the Muslim Brotherhood], and Qatar is still on its identical old music of supporting and financing this,” he said.
The three nations on the tour all have active Political Islam corporations of exceptional sizes, even though all are associated with the principal team that originated in Egypt and nurtured nearly all the militant and terrorist organizations in the vicinity in recent decades.
The agencies share allegiance with comparable organizations in Syria and Libya. As the Brotherhood has lost support in Egypt and Sudan and different countries, it has been making an attempt to impose so-called Political Islam in Libya and parts of Syria the usage of mercenary-like terrorist militias.
Last month, Erdogan visited Algeria and met its new President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, however his declare that Algeria had agreed with Turkey to support Tripoli-based militias in Libya was once later refuted by using the Algerian authorities. The equal aspect took place with his visit to Tunisia in December, although ultimate month he additionally met speaker of the Tunisian parliament and leader of the Brotherhood-affiliated Ennahda Party Rachid Al-Ghannouchi in Istanbul.
In December, King Abdullah II of Jordan visited Turkey and additionally met Erdogan. Many Gulf pundits say that the Qatari emir is making an attempt to impervious what Erdogan may want to now not – to sway the international locations on his itinerary toward helping the Turkish-Qatari efforts in Syria and Libya or to continue to be neutral.
Another trouble of issue for Jordan is the US peace sketch between Israel and the Palestinians that threatens the balance and safety of Jordan. The united states of america has been desperate to find support for its opposition to the plan, however Jordan is a close US ally and is dependent on American and Gulf financial aid.
Thus far, Turkey and Qatar have solely presented “verbal” guide for the king’s position, and there are fears that any in addition assist for Amman might be tied to the rising political clout of the Jordanian department of the Brotherhood.
Qatar is aware of Jordan’s monetary hardships, and it also is aware of that Jordan is not getting the economic help it seeks from other Gulf countries.
Jordan decreased its family members with Qatar following the Quartet of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt’s boycotting of Qatar over its assist for terrorism. But the monetary squeeze in the place is not helping Jordan, and thousands of its expatriates are coming back home, depriving it of remittances in hard currency.
In 2018, Qatar announced the provision of work opportunities for 10,000 Jordanians. And throughout his first visit to Jordan in view that 2017 this week, the emir introduced another 10,000 jobs in Qatar for Jordanians and donated $30 million to the retirement fund for the Jordanian military.
There may additionally be different perks however attaching them to any overture from Jordan closer to the Qatar-sponsored Palestinian crew Hamas will no longer be easy for Jordan. King Abdullah II sees Hamas as a destabilising element, even more than the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood.
The trouble of Libya used to be also on the agenda, even though this was now not announced. Qatar, like Turkey, wishes Jordan to end supporting the Libyan National Army even if it does no longer take up a blunt role in favour of the Tripoli-based militias supported by means of Turkey and Qatar. It is not yet clear whether the emir’s efforts on his tour have met with larger success than the in the past efforts made by means of Erdogan.
In Tunisia, the place Al-Thani arrived from Amman on Monday for a two-day visit, it is a highly less difficult task. The Ennahda Party is still dominant in government in Tunisia, though it does now not have whole power, and the new Tunisian president is fending off taking robust stands on controversial issues.
Tunisia additionally desires financial support, however it fears the penalties of getting more worried in Libya, especially siding with militias supported by Qatar and Turkey.
The most ambiguous leg of the emir’s tour was once to Algeria. The new rulers who came to energy following the popular protests that ousted previous president Abdelaziz Bouteflika are making an attempt to observe an impartial foreign policy. On Libya, in particular, Algeria is trying to discover a neutral position, though this may additionally be impossible.
A few days ago, Tebboune ordered the deportation of the supervisor of the Ooredoo branch in Algeria after the Qatari-owned telecommunications company’s plans to lay off 900 workers used to be made public. Even the visit with the aid of the emir used to be clouded via an reliable assertion from the presidency no longer confirming or denying media reports confirming the visit.
Developments in Libya in the coming days and weeks will be the important indicator of the success or failure of the emir’s tour of the three countries. The person most concerned about that outcome will be Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
