BEIRUT — Most rich Gulf Arab nations adopted Saudi Arabia’s lead in recent times and ostracized crisis-hit Lebanon due to the rising affect of the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah. The exception was Qatar.
Doha has been silently increasing its affect in Lebanon. It continued receiving Lebanese leaders and pumped tens thousands and thousands of {dollars} into serving to the nation’s armed forces amid a historic financial meltdown.
The small, gas-rich nation in late January started seeing the fruits of its funding, when state-owned Qatar Vitality changed a Russian agency in a global consortium that may seek for fuel within the Mediterranean Sea off Lebanon’s coast.
And on Monday, Qatar will for the primary time be a part of a gathering in Paris together with officers from France, Saudi Arabia and the U.S. for discussions specializing in Lebanon’s political and financial crises.
Qatar portrays itself as a extra impartial pressure in a rustic the place for many years exterior powers have used Lebanon’s sectarian divisions to struggle their proxy battles. Saudi Arabia lengthy backed Lebanon’s Sunni Muslim factions and tried to push out Iran’s affect via Shiite Hezbollah. The rivalry repeatedly pushed Lebanon to the brink of armed battle.
Qatar, which has good ties with Iran, has been attempting to advance negotiations between Tehran and Gulf nations. Its inclusion within the upcoming talks “is a sign that Iran won’t be utterly omitted of that assembly and a recognition of the affect that Tehran has over Lebanon,” mentioned Mohamad Bazzi, a professor and director of the Hagop Kevorkian Heart for Close to Japanese Research at New York College.
“With Saudi Arabia and different Gulf states much less closely concerned in Lebanon, Qatar is attempting to revive its mediator position within the nation,” he mentioned.
Nonetheless, Qatar – one of many richest nations on the planet with its pure fuel wealth – to this point “has proven little signal of being keen to bail out Lebanon by itself,” Bazzi mentioned.
Since late 2019, Lebanon’s financial system has collapsed below the load of widespread corruption and mismanagement. The forex has misplaced greater than 90% of its worth, throwing a lot of the inhabitants into poverty. Worldwide donors, together with Qatar, have been demanding the federal government implement reforms to launch some $11 billion in loans and grants. However Lebanon’s politicians have resisted as a result of reforms would weaken their grip within the nation.
Qatar’s involvement in Lebanon just isn’t new.
After the 34-day warfare between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006, Qatar helped rebuild a number of cities and villages that suffered main destruction in southern Lebanon. Big billboards with indicators studying “Thank You Qatar” popped up round Lebanon.
In Could 2008, after Hezbollah and its allies battled their Western-backed rivals in Beirut’s worst preventing for the reason that 1975-90 civil warfare, Lebanese political leaders flew to Qatar, the place they reached a deal generally known as the “Doha Settlement.” The deal ended an 18-month impasse and introduced the election of a brand new president and formation of a brand new authorities. Within the calm that adopted, huge international funding flowed in, and Lebanon’s financial system grew at a median of 9% for 3 years.
In December 2018, then-President Michel Aoun inaugurated the newly rehabilitated Lebanese Nationwide Library in Beirut, funded by Qatar at a price of $25 million. The present emir’s mom, Sheikha Moza bint Nasser al-Missned, had laid the inspiration stone for the mission within the coronary heart of Beirut in 2009.
Saudi Arabia pulled again from Lebanon in recent times as Hezbollah’s energy grew. Final 12 months, the primary Saudi ally in Lebanon, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, a twin Lebanese-Saudi citizen, introduced he’s suspending his work in politics.
In 2020, Riyadh banned imports of Lebanese merchandise after a Lebanese official derided the Saudi-led navy intervention in Yemen. A number of different Gulf nations adopted go well with, however Qatar didn’t.
Qatar doubled down on its funding as Lebanon’s financial system melted down.
Qatari traders purchased the well-known Beirut Le Vendome resort overlooking the Mediterranean in 2020. There are experiences that Doha plans to pump cash into Lebanon’s struggling banking sector to purchase one of many nation’s lenders.
In June, Qatar donated $60 million to assist the salaries of members of the Lebanese military. It was already supporting the military with month-to-month provides of meals. Strengthening Lebanon’s navy has lengthy been a coverage of the US, which sees the pressure as a counterbalance to Hezbollah.
Every week in the past, three months after Lebanon and Israel signed a U.S.-mediated maritime border settlement, Qatari Vitality Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi joined Lebanese officers in Beirut for a ceremony inking an settlement for Qatar to take a 30% share in a consortium for oil and fuel exploration in Lebanese waters.
“For us in Qatar, this essential settlement provides us a chance to assist financial developments in Lebanon throughout this vital flip,” al-Kaabi mentioned on the occasion. “Qatar is at all times current to assist a greater future for Lebanon and its individuals.”
In keeping with the settlement, Qatar Vitality will take over the 20% stake vacated by Russia’s Novatek along with 5% every from Italy’s large ENI and France’s TotalEnergies leaving the Arab firm with a stake of 30%. Complete and ENI can have 35% stakes every.
“It is a win-win state of affairs for Lebanon and Qatar,” mentioned Lebanon’s former power minister, Cesar Abi Khalil. Qatar will get a stake within the doable fuel assets in Lebanese waters, whereas Lebanon will get the credibility of a Qatari firm within the mission.
Within the political discipline, Qatar has not brazenly backed any social gathering. But it surely reportedly helps the Lebanese Military commander, Gen. Joseph Aoun, to turn into the nation’s subsequent president. Aoun, who just isn’t associated to the outgoing president, was invited to go to Qatar in December and met with high-level officers. Hezbollah is believed to oppose him.
Because it typically does, Qatar is advancing its financial and political pursuits collectively, mentioned Lebanese economist Antoine Farah. It’s making certain earnings from its investments whereas gaining a political position within the nation the place it invests.
However Ali Hamade, a journalist with the Lebanese day by day An-Nahar, mentioned Qatar, like different Gulf nations, will wish to see Lebanon’s political leaders enact critical reforms.
“Lebanon ought to assist itself to ensure that Arabs to assist Lebanon. Lebanese politicians can’t sit and look forward to cash to rain from the sky,” Hamade mentioned.
