Friday's Chinese-mediated rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and
Iran was a pleasant surprise to many countries — in the region and beyond. This
diplomatic breakthrough is rare in a region plagued by endemic crises. This
deal between two major regional players promises to positively impact several
other conflicts.
اضافة اعلان
China's role in bringing the two countries together carries several
key messages, as Beijing can be described as an honest and neutral broker. With
no colonial history in the region, Beijing's contribution to the region's
development and growth cannot be discounted. While
Iran and China have forged an economic and political alliance for years, Saudi Arabia's outreach to China,
India, and Russia has distinguished its foreign policy in recent years. This outreach
is paying dividends.
It is also expected that China is looking to bolster its political
influence in the region to match its economic presence. And the agreement
between
Saudi Arabia and Iran under its sponsorship underlines the need for a
multi-polar presence in the region.
After a seven-year rift, Iraq and Oman have played a key role in
bringing the two Gulf powerhouses to the negotiation table.
Saudi Arabia and Iran held at least six rounds of talks in Baghdad over the last two years. Few
expected a breakthrough to happen so soon. To say that Riyadh and Tehran had a
tense relationship over the last few decades is an understatement. But in
recent years, it was Iran's controversial meddling in the affairs of its
neighbors, as well as other countries in the region, that had forced Saudi
Arabia to sever diplomatic ties in 2016. Now the two have agreed to reopen
embassies and normalize relations in all sectors. An agreement sure to have a
positive impact on the region's security and stability.
This diplomatic breakthrough is rare in a region plagued by endemic crises. This deal between two major regional players promises to positively impact several other conflicts.
But, this newly found détente has shocked the
Israeli political establishment, which has been working on two related fronts; to bring Saudi
Arabia into the Abraham Accords and to further isolate Iran while threatening
to launch an airstrike against its nuclear sites. Both objectives have suffered
due to Friday's agreements, with Israeli politicians trading accusations over
what they saw as a major setback for their country.
The agreement will deepen Israel's internal political crisis over
judicial overhaul. Additionally, it will add to its growing isolation while its
far-right government carries out an open war against Palestinians and rejects a
political settlement.
Certainly, the agreement undermines Israel-US efforts to build a
regional security alliance against Iran. The deal sends a strong message that
no country in the region, aside from Israel, wants to see a new military
conflict erupting. The deal could encourage other countries to seek to
normalize ties with Tehran.
Certainly, the agreement undermines Israel-US efforts to build a regional security alliance against Iran. ... The deal could encourage other countries to seek to normalize ties with Tehran.
Such an occurrence will
limit Iran's appetite to pursue its regional
agenda.
Washington, which made a cautious welcome of the deal, has also been
taken aback by the fact that China, of all countries, took credit for scoring
what could only be described as a major diplomatic victory for Beijing and its
leader Xi Jinping.
The deal's timing is yet another indicator that the US' role and
influence in the region are under threat. And the US has only itself to blame.
Its policies in the region, especially in the last two decades, have brought
only misery to the people of the Middle East. Even the Abraham Accords, which
the Trump administration regarded as its most prominent foreign policy
achievement, has failed to end the core of the region's instability, which is
the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Now rapprochement between
Saudi Arabia and Iran is expected to set
in motion a number of processes to end or at least de-escalate regional
conflicts and proxy wars. Iranian media have said the agreement will help bring
a political settlement to Yemen's long war. Ending that war, which has turned
Yemen into a failed state and displaced millions, will be the most important
outcome of the détente between the two regional rivals. That alone would be
seen as a major factor in bringing peace and stability to the Gulf region.
But the path towards full normalization and cooperation will be long
and difficult. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah
said the agreement underscores the joint desire by both sides to "resolve
disputes through communication and dialogue".
The Middle East has seen its worst conflicts festering as the US boasted about the region being its sphere of influence. Now the leaders are looking elsewhere for inspiration and help in conflict resolution.
But he added, however: "This does not mean that an agreement
has been reached to resolve all pending disputes between them." Much
will depend on Iran's readiness to negotiate in good faith. Any breakthrough will
pave the way for further discussions, including Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq.
The region's leaders and people will welcome China's success in
mediating the agreement. The Middle East has seen its worst conflicts festering
as the US boasted about the region being its sphere of influence. Now the
leaders are looking elsewhere for inspiration and help in conflict
resolution.
Osama Al Sharif is a journalist and political commentator based in
Amman.
Read more Opinion and Analysis
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
