Tunisia has officially remained neutral in the Qatari-Gulf crisis given its economic relations with the two main parties involved.
Tunisia can only afford neutrality in Qatar crisis
The ruling coalition of Ennahda and Nidaa Tunis hasย adopted a neutral stanceย in the Gulf crisis triggered byย Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE),ย Bahrain and Egyptย severingย diplomatic relationsย withย Qatar onย June 5ย andย imposingย a land and air blockadeย against it.
Abdelkarim Harooni, chairman of the Shura Council of Ennahda, the majority party in parliament, describedย Saudi Arabia’sย applicationย of pressureย inย the Gulfย as a painful stepย in terms of Riyadh’sย attempt to exert influence and be recognized as regional leader.
Ali Laarayedh, deputy head of Ennahda and former prime minister, told Al-Monitor that Tunisia’s position fallsย within the framework of its consistent desire to preserve Arab unity, to maintain good relations with all parties and preserveย diplomatic traditionย among Arabย states.
Laarayedh also remarked, “The crisis that broke out in the Gulf is taking place between sister countries with great common interests, a shared future and similar security concerns. These brotherly countries have close relations and have cooperated in various fields of trade, politics and finance. Accordingly, we support every diplomatic effort to contain the crisis through dialogue.”
He added, “We hope the crisis will not move from the political dimension to the military one, especially amid the recent developments andย Iran and Turkey’s [military] interference. Otherwise, a large-scale regional confrontation would emerge, especially amid the daily efforts to force Qatar to change its policy.”
Turkey has aย military baseย in Qatar, and two weeks into the crisis,ย deployed troops to take part in joint exercises.ย Ankara and Tehran have both expressed their support for Dohaย and sentย food assistanceย to Qatarย on June 11.
“In my assessment,”ย Laarayedh said, “diplomatic interventions will prevail, especially considering that this is not the first time that differences between Arab sister countries haveย surged. The Gulf dispute must be solved internally because widening the dispute would only serve the interest of the region’s enemies and would only disruptย national stability and security.”
Nidaa Tunisย issued a statement June 5 confirming that the movement is committed to supporting dialogue. The statement also said, however, that Tunisianย policy is ultimately in the hands of President Beji Caid Essebsi andย Foreign Minister Khamis al-Jhinawi.ย Al-Sabah on June 5ย quotedย Jhinawi as saying that Tunisia calls on those involved in the disputeย toย calm down,ย keep the conflict contained andย overcome their differences andย find a solution that satisfies all parties.
Several media outlets quotedย Jhinawi stating, “Tunisia stands at the same distance from all parties to the conflict, and it mustย maintain good relationsย with all countries.”ย He further remarked, “The Arab world is witnessing many problems and weย do not want more crises.”
Meanwhile, the opposition Popular Front, which has also called for nonalignment, nonetheless lashed out at Ennahda, accusingย it of siding with Doha. It said on June 5 that despite Ennahda’s nonalignment, it cannotย denyย that Qatar hasย supported terrorism, by embracingย extremist groups in Syria and Libya.
Popular Front parliamentarianย Ayman al-Alawiย told Al-Monitor, “The Popular Front refuses to side with any political party in the Gulf crisis so as not to jeopardize the sovereignty and interests of the Tunisian people and [in order]ย to stay away from narrow political interests.”
Alawi said that the Islamist-oriented Ennahda is trying to cover forย Qatarย funding terrorism, because ofย military and security cooperation relationsย establishedย between Tunisย and Doha after the 2010-11 revolution.ย Alawi accused Ennahda of trying to portray the Gulf dispute as illustrating the difference between Qatar, which has tended to support the Arab Spring and theย Muslim Brotherhood, whereas Saudi Arabiaย is more concerned with trying to curry favor with the United States.
Citingย close links between Ennahda and the Brotherhood โ Ennahda claims to be independent from the Islamist group, a contention some disputeย โย Alawi called on the Tunisian government to conduct an investigation into whether Ennahda had receivedย funds from Qatar during the 2014 election campaign, a move thatย would be illegal. He also called for examiningย the bank accounts of other Tunisian political entitiesย with allegedย ties to Qatar andย accusedย the Qataris of having helped Ennahda politically through media coverage on Al Jazeera.
Moncef Marzouki, former Tunisian president (2011-14) and currentย head of Al-Irada,ย a movementย founded after theย 2014 elections,ย expressed his supportย for Doha on June 5.ย He asserted, “The pressures of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE come with the intention of blackmailing and subjugating our Qatari brothers.”
Marzoukiย sharply criticized the UAE, accusingย it of being behind the diplomatic assaultย on Qatar to punish it for its support of the Arab Spring. “Qatar is a friend of Tunisia, and our government, which theoretically represents our people, has to protest against the attempt to isolate and stifle Qatar and even try to put it under guardianship,”ย Marzouki said in a June 5 Facebook post.
Marzouki wasย head ofย the Congress for the Republic, when the Constituent Assemblyย selected him president to succeed Zine Abidine Ben Ali. The Congress, since dissolved, hasย also beenย accused of having received financial supportย from Qatar.
Asked about theย repercussionsย of the Gulf crisis on the Tunisian economy, economic analyst Moaz al-Joudi told Al-Monitor, that there are concerns that itย will negatively affect the Arab region as a whole given Saudiย pressureย and US Presidentย Donald Trump’s statementsย accusing Qatar of funding terrorist groups.
Joudi commented, “Tunisia cannot afford to risk its fragile economy in [others’] struggle for leadership, for the sake of restoringย regional balances, and playing an influential role in the [Gulf] region.”
Joudi said that Tunisia’s decisionย not to back any political camp is a solid one because of its ties with Qatar, which has provided in excess ofย $1 billion in financial assistance in the form ofย loans, and the presence ofย Saudi investments and commercial institutionsย in the country.