Bahrain and Egypt are attempting to mend ties between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, two sources told AFP, weeks into a diplomatic rift between the Gulf heavyweights.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE had a public falling-out in December when the kingdom accused its neighbour of threatening its national security by supporting Yemeni separatists who orchestrated a brief land grab.
A source close to the Saudi government insisted there was “no need for mediation” because direct channels are open between the two countries.
Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have had no high-level diplomatic contact since the last week of December, several sources told AFP.
“Bahrain is leading mediation efforts between Saudi and the UAE that aim at ending the ongoing misunderstanding,” said a Gulf official, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
The goal, he said, was to “bridge the gap and bring viewpoints closer”.
“It’s a Gulf issue and it should be resolved in the Gulf,” he said, adding that this was a “Bahraini effort, not a GCC effort”, in reference to the Gulf Cooperation Council regional bloc.
A senior Bahraini official later dismissed the comments, saying talk of mediation was “inaccurate and is not based on official information or credible sources”, the official Bahrain News Agency reported.
Visits by senior Bahraini officials to other Gulf countries were “part of pre-scheduled programs and visits”, Nabeel Al-Hamar, media advisor to Bahrain’s king, was cited as saying.
This week, Bahraini Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa met the Saudi de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in Riyadh and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi.
A regional source in the Gulf, who also requested anonymity to speak on sensitive matters, said Egypt was pursuing efforts to end the rift.
“Egypt is playing a sort of mediating role and conveying messages between Saudi Arabia and the UAE,” he said.
On January 5, the Saudi foreign minister met his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo.
The next day, Abdelatty called his Emirati counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed.
Egypt conveyed Saudi messages to the UAE, the source said.
“The Saudi foreign minister discussed in Cairo the details of the crisis with his Egyptian counterpart, who then made calls to his Emirati counterpart,” the source added.
On Monday, Egypt’s Sisi met the Emirati president on a “fraternal visit” to Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s official WAM news agency said.
AFP reached out to the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt for input on this story, but no immediate comment was available.