A key lubricant in Mideast talks
A few wheels of peace are turning in the war-prone Middle East. Last month, Iran and Saudi Arabia reached a tentative rapprochement. Israel further cemented new ties with two Gulf states. Syria, long an outcast, is getting more attention. And then there is a country with a conflict that reflects the region’s religious and tribal tensions: Yemen, home to a long war and the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Serious talks to end the conflict began last week when Houthi rebels who control the Yemeni capital met with officials from Saudi Arabia, which backs the government ousted in 2015 by the Iran-backed Houthis. All sides have reasons to end the conflict. The death toll in Yemen and the hardship to civilians, for example, have been high. Yet the real lubricant in this particular wheel of peace is Oman, a neighboring country that has been a critical mediator and facilitator.
As Oman’s foreign minister, Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, explains, his country is a trusted go-between in the region because it assumes the integrity and good intentions of all participants. It avoids a blame game by seeing the world through the eyes of others. It encourages rivals to talk with each other, not at each other. It creates room for dialogue by acting with calmness, friendship, and tolerance.
In general, “The posture ‘you are with us or against us’ will not solve the problem,” he told Le Figaro newspaper last year.
Oman has a long track record of mediating between Iran and its various rivals, including the United States. It has allowed two Israeli prime ministers to visit the country. In Yemen last year, it helped bring a truce that opened the door to the current negotiations. Hopes are high that a deal will be reached soon to exchange all prisoners, fully reopen ports and airports, and design a solution to Yemen’s many political divisions.
In a region where many states use sharp elbows to gain dominance, Oman has stood for a wholly different approach. It is a friend to all and embraces dialogue. When warring parties tire of conflict, they know who to call.
