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Jordan Seeks Middle Ground in Mideast Rift

Dale Gavlak

   AMMAN, JORDAN - A diplomatic rift in the Middle East is deepening with
   Qatar and Turkey on one side, and Saudi Arabia, other Gulf Arab states
   along with Egypt on the other. Divisions have been growing over how to
   contain Iran's widening sphere in the region and the latest crisis on
   Gulf waterways, as well as the ongoing conflict in Syria and disputes
   over support of the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.

   Key U.S. ally and moderate, Jordan, is trying to take some distance
   from its longtime Gulf Arab partners by getting closer to Qatar and
   Turkey and putting itself in the middle ground.

   Jordan's King Abdullah is charting a more independent foreign policy
   course than in the past, analysts say, by taking some distance from the
   desert kingdom's longtime Gulf Arab partners. Jordan recently restored
   full diplomatic ties with Qatar by naming an ambassador to the country
   for the first time in two years, with Qatar following suit.

   The development comes more than two years after Jordan downgraded its
   diplomatic representation, a few days after Saudi Arabia, the United
   Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain -- often known as the Arab Quartet --
   cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting Islamist
   militants and meddling in their internal affairs. Jordanian political
   analyst Osama al-Sharif explains.

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