?Will Saudi Arabia surrender to American pressure after Khashoggi's death and Qatar's reconciliation

?Will Saudi Arabia surrender to American pressure after Khashoggi's death and Qatar's reconciliation
Saudi Arabia has resisted calls from the United States to repair relations with Qatar, despite signs that pressure to end another regional crisis, the Yemen war, has had an impact on Riyadh since the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi
Saudi Arabia has resisted calls from the United States to repair relations with Qatar, despite signs that pressure to end another regional crisis, the Yemen war, has had an impact on Riyadh since the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi
Turkish President Erdoğan and US President Trump made a telephone call in which they agreed that all aspects of the killing of Jamal Khashoggi should be uncovered and no undisclosed side left.
Four well-informed sources said Washington believes it has more influence over Riyadh now as the kingdom tries to repair damage to its global standing. The United States wants to use that power point to end Yemen's war and rebuild a unified Gulf-Arab position against Iran. The Saudi-led coalition, which is fighting the Huthis allied with Iran in Yemen, has halted its offensive on the coastal city of Hodeidah on Thursday in apparent response to US and British pressure to declare a ceasefire in Yemen by the end of this month
Washington on Thursday imposed sanctions on 17 Saudi officials for their role in the killing of Khashoggi in continuing to pressure Riyadh. US senators also proposed a bill that would, if passed, become law to stop arms sales to Saudi Arabia because of Khashoggi's death and the war in Yemen. Saudi authorities have not responded to requests for comment
A spokeswoman for the US State Department said Washington has called for a solution since the start of the crises, the country and Yemen. "We continue to pursue our relationship with our partners in the region, including Saudi Arabia," said Heather Naort. "Unity in the Gulf is essential to our common interests of countering the malicious influence of Iran and fighting terrorism and ensuring a prosperous future for all our Gulf partners," she said.
Deepened the dispute with Qatar
The United States believes Saudi Arabia is playing a key role in efforts to build a unified position among Gulf Arab states to curtail Iran's influence in the Middle East. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Riyadh shortly after Khashoggi was killed. But Washington also sees Yemen's war as a destabilizing factor in the region and wants to end the conflict that has killed more than 10,000 people and pushed the country's population to the brink of starvation. Saudi Arabia and its ally, the United Arab Emirates, are now pushing them out of the war, which has proved costly, but has also reached an impasse. US officials have also sought to influence Riyadh over its differences with Qatar since Khashoggi's death.
Gulf Arab states, seen by Washington as a bulwark against Iran, were hit hard when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut off trade ties with Qatar in June 2017. The four countries accused Doha of supporting terrorism and Iran, charges Qatar denies
"They are taking advantage of the opportunity to try to end the Qatari conflict," a source familiar with US policy said. Two other sources said Washington wanted to restore unity among Gulf Arab states to help curb Iran's influence in the region before new US sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program came into force on November 4. Western hopes have increased that Riyadh may be in line with Doha after a statement by Prince Mohammed about the strength of the Qatari economy at an investment conference on October 25. But diplomats and Gulf sources said they had seen neither new proposals nor tangible steps from Riyadh or its allies to end the row with Qatar
An Arab diplomat told Reuters he saw no change in Qatar and added that the Crown Prince's statement had been misinterpreted, pointing out that the message in his view was directed at the United States not to worry about the Qatari economy. Other countries that have boycotted Doha are Riyadh's allies and have long-standing political and security differences with Qatar. A Gulf source said Prince Mohammad would avoid taking any step that could be interpreted as weakness in trying to contain the diplomatic implications of Khashoggi's death
Riyadh offered varying interpretations of Khashoggi's disappearance before admitting his death in a process she described as derailed. King Salman, who intervened to resolve the crisis, supported his crown prince, who concentrated power in his hands.
Diplomats and other sources familiar with Gulf politics say Abu Dhabi does not consider the row with Qatar a priority. "The Qataris are increasing the price of resolving the crisis ... Emiratis are happy to keep Qataris isolated," a Western diplomat said. Diplomats say Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have consistently assured Washington that the row will not prevent the formation of a proposed Middle East security pact to include Doha. They said the UAE strongly supported Bin Salman against Iran and the economic and social reforms it seeks to implement. Abu Dhabi sees it as necessary to emulate the UAE model of business and religious tolerance in the face of extremism