US push to pry open Gulf airspace for Qatar hits resistance
Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies are resisting a US push to open their airspace to Qatar and end the country's heavy reliance on Iran’s skies, according to officials familiar with the contacts. They figure they stand a better chance of extracting bigger concessions from Qatar, which they’ve been boycotting for nearly 3 years, the closer it gets to hosting the 2022 World Cup soccer tournament, according to one official familiar with the matter. Washington intensified its efforts to mend the Gulf rift after last year’s attacks on energy interests in the Persian Gulf, which briefly disrupted Saudi oil production. Opening airspace has been a key point on the agenda of regular meetings between US and Saudi officials in Washington and the Gulf, even as broader reconciliation overtures between Arab countries have stalled. <br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2020-02-26/general/us-push-to-pry-open-gulf-airspace-for-qatar-hits-resistance
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US push to pry open Gulf airspace for Qatar hits resistance
Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies are resisting a US push to open their airspace to Qatar and end the country's heavy reliance on Iran’s skies, according to officials familiar with the contacts. They figure they stand a better chance of extracting bigger concessions from Qatar, which they’ve been boycotting for nearly 3 years, the closer it gets to hosting the 2022 World Cup soccer tournament, according to one official familiar with the matter. Washington intensified its efforts to mend the Gulf rift after last year’s attacks on energy interests in the Persian Gulf, which briefly disrupted Saudi oil production. Opening airspace has been a key point on the agenda of regular meetings between US and Saudi officials in Washington and the Gulf, even as broader reconciliation overtures between Arab countries have stalled. <br/>
