Phone Call between Khalifa bin Salman and Tamim bin Hamad Opens Door for Predictions

2019-05-07 - 8:18 p

Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): A telephone call was held yesterday between Bahraini Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to congratulate him on the holy month of Ramadan, Qatar News Agency reported.

In normal situations, calls do not exceed the protocols of the Gulf rulers, but the severe division in the region raises questions over the call. What's behind the call? Does Bahrain play the role of a messenger again or is it a personal act of the Prime Minister?

No one has answers to the sudden call that comes at a time when the four countries Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt continue to boycott Qatar.

Emirati political sciences professor Abdul Khaliq Abdallah tried to downgrade the call, while Qataris are straining to portray the call as a breakthrough for the Saudi-led alliance.

"A surprise phone call for Doha that made the naughty sister Qatar fly in is an unattested delight and considered it a miracle of the holy month of Ramadan," said Abdul Khaliq via his Twitter account.

He added "The brothers in Qatar do not fly in the sky with joy and do give a value to the call more than it deserves," he said. "It's just a call and there's no breakthrough. The boycott is going on indefinitely."

Qatari Media person Abdullah Al-Athba said, "Will the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed work at a faster pace to overthrow Khalifa bin Salman, Bahrain's PM, after contacting Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, Emir of the State of Qatar, to congratulate him on the holy month of Ramadan, brothers?"

Qatari media outlets have always promoted that the UAE wants to overthrow the Bahraini prime minister.

Media groups close to the royal court in Bahrain hinted that Khalifa bin Salman was not in line with the Gulf countries ' stance on the siege of Qatar, as well as the Muslim Brotherhood's proximity to the country, according to media outlets on Twitter last year.

Researcher Abdullah Al-Zawbai asked whether the call is an indicative of different stances in Bahrain, noting that Khalifa bin Salman had visited Doha two months before the crisis.

Late at night, the Prime Minister's royal court issued a statement confirming that the call between the Prime Minister and the Emir of Qatar focused on social dimension by exchanging congratulations on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan only.

This brief statement is not expected to put an end to the predictions and reactions in the region which witnesses great division. This call was a surprise for all parties.

Arabic Version