Muslim scholars union hails effort to end Gulf rift

ISTANBUL

The International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS) has hailed efforts by Gulf rulers to resolve the years-long Gulf dispute.

On Monday, Saudi Arabia and Qatar announced reopening airspace and land and sea borders, in a move that signaled an end to a blockade imposed by Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies against Doha.

In a statement, the IUMS said it “looks forward to the return of a united and prosperous Gulf capable of protection, development and prosperity”.

On Tuesday, Qatar’s ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani headed to Saudi Arabia to attend the annual Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Saudi Arabia, in a move that marks an end to the crisis that started in 2017 when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt imposed a blockade on Doha on accusations of supporting terrorism and meddling in their internal affairs.

Qatar has repeatedly denied the allegations, saying that there was “no legitimate justification” for the relations to get tense, and accused its neighbors of attacking its sovereignty.

*Ibrahim Mukhtar contributed to this report from Ankara