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Saudi Arabia-Qatar/Border Reopening
FILE: Mecca, Saudi Arabia - Sept 2015 (Exact date unknown)
1. Various of pilgrims gathering for pilgrimage
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Aug 18, 2017
2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abdu Rahman Al-Murshed, political analyst:
"Saudi Arabia welcomes all pilgrims from other countries, including those from Qatar. In fact, Saudi Arabia has cut relation with Iran, but its doors are still open to Iranian pilgrims."
FILE: Mecca, Saudi Arabia - Sept 2015 (Exact date unknown)
3. Various of pilgrims
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Aug 18, 2017
4. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abdu Rahman Al-Murshed, political analyst (partially overlaid with shots 5-6):
"The four countries that cut ties with Qatar hope that it can take concrete measures to prevent certain individuals and organizations inside Qatar from supporting terrorism, and in the meantime, release the lists of those individuals and organizations separately. Only by doing this can Qatar show its sincerity. This is also what the four countries want. But Qatar hasn't done anything yet."
++SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
5. Al-Murshed in interview
6. Reporter
++SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
FILE: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - May 2017 (Exact date unknown)
7. Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (left), former Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Muhammad bin Nayef Al Saud sitting next to each other before Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) meeting
8. Saudi king
9. Emir of Qatar
10. Various of GCC meeting
A Saudi analyst said on Friday that the political standoff between Qatar and four other nations is far from over despite the recent reopening of the border between Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
On June 5, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, accusing Qatar of supporting Islamist extremists, severed diplomatic and trade ties with the emirate in what has evolved as the worst political crisis in the Gulf region in years.
The diplomatic rift has since led to the closure of the Salwa border crossing, the only overland connection between Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia's King Salman ordered the reopening of the border with Qatar to facilitate the annual Hajj pilgrimage, and in the meantime, ordered jets belonging to Saudi airlines to be sent to the airport in Doha to bring in Qatari pilgrims.
So far, hundreds of Qatari pilgrims have crossed the Salwa border into Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
Qatar welcomed the decision but also lashed out at what it called Riyadh's politicization of religious freedoms.
Abdu Rahman Al-Murshed, a political analyst in Saudi Arabia, said the reopening of the border represents a gesture of goodwill from Riyadh, and also aims at sending a message to the world that Saudi Arabia has never meant for Qatar to change its policies, nor to use the Hajj pilgrimage as a means of a sanction.
"Saudi Arabia welcomes all pilgrims from other countries, including those from Qatar. In fact, Saudi Arabia has cut relation with Iran, but its doors are still open to Iranian pilgrims," said Al-Murshed.
However, he cautioned that the reopening of the border does not necessarily mean a thaw in relations between Riyadh and Doha.
"The four countries that cut ties with Qatar hope that it can take concrete measures to prevent certain individuals and organizations inside Qatar from supporting terrorism, and in the meantime, release the lists of those individuals and organizations separately. Only by doing this can Qatar show its sincerity. This is also what the four countries want. But Qatar hasn't done anything yet," said the analyst.
The border decision came after a meeting on Wednesday in the Saudi city of Jeddah between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali Al-Thani, a son of the late Emir of Qatar Ali bin Abdullah Al Thani.
Saudi Arabia-Qatar/Border Reopening
Dateline : Aug 18, 2017/File
Location : Riyadh,Saudi Arabia
Duration : 1'57
FILE: Mecca, Saudi Arabia - Sept 2015 (Exact date unknown)
1. Various of pilgrims gathering for pilgrimage
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Aug 18, 2017
2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abdu Rahman Al-Murshed, political analyst:
"Saudi Arabia welcomes all pilgrims from other countries, including those from Qatar. In fact, Saudi Arabia has cut relation with Iran, but its doors are still open to Iranian pilgrims."
FILE: Mecca, Saudi Arabia - Sept 2015 (Exact date unknown)
3. Various of pilgrims
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Aug 18, 2017
4. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abdu Rahman Al-Murshed, political analyst (partially overlaid with shots 5-6):
"The four countries that cut ties with Qatar hope that it can take concrete measures to prevent certain individuals and organizations inside Qatar from supporting terrorism, and in the meantime, release the lists of those individuals and organizations separately. Only by doing this can Qatar show its sincerity. This is also what the four countries want. But Qatar hasn't done anything yet."
++SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
5. Al-Murshed in interview
6. Reporter
++SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
FILE: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - May 2017 (Exact date unknown)
7. Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (left), former Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Muhammad bin Nayef Al Saud sitting next to each other before Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) meeting
8. Saudi king
9. Emir of Qatar
10. Various of GCC meeting
A Saudi analyst said on Friday that the political standoff between Qatar and four other nations is far from over despite the recent reopening of the border between Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
On June 5, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, accusing Qatar of supporting Islamist extremists, severed diplomatic and trade ties with the emirate in what has evolved as the worst political crisis in the Gulf region in years.
The diplomatic rift has since led to the closure of the Salwa border crossing, the only overland connection between Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia's King Salman ordered the reopening of the border with Qatar to facilitate the annual Hajj pilgrimage, and in the meantime, ordered jets belonging to Saudi airlines to be sent to the airport in Doha to bring in Qatari pilgrims.
So far, hundreds of Qatari pilgrims have crossed the Salwa border into Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
Qatar welcomed the decision but also lashed out at what it called Riyadh's politicization of religious freedoms.
Abdu Rahman Al-Murshed, a political analyst in Saudi Arabia, said the reopening of the border represents a gesture of goodwill from Riyadh, and also aims at sending a message to the world that Saudi Arabia has never meant for Qatar to change its policies, nor to use the Hajj pilgrimage as a means of a sanction.
"Saudi Arabia welcomes all pilgrims from other countries, including those from Qatar. In fact, Saudi Arabia has cut relation with Iran, but its doors are still open to Iranian pilgrims," said Al-Murshed.
However, he cautioned that the reopening of the border does not necessarily mean a thaw in relations between Riyadh and Doha.
"The four countries that cut ties with Qatar hope that it can take concrete measures to prevent certain individuals and organizations inside Qatar from supporting terrorism, and in the meantime, release the lists of those individuals and organizations separately. Only by doing this can Qatar show its sincerity. This is also what the four countries want. But Qatar hasn't done anything yet," said the analyst.
The border decision came after a meeting on Wednesday in the Saudi city of Jeddah between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali Al-Thani, a son of the late Emir of Qatar Ali bin Abdullah Al Thani.
ID : 8058762
Published : 2017-08-19 10:21
Last Modified : 2017-08-19 16:39:00
Source : China Central Television (CCTV)
Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland
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