Arab Media: UAE Seeking Regime Change in Oman

The Arabic-language Sasa Post disclosed attempts by UAE Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashed and other UAE rulers to overthrow the current government in Oman, saying that these attempts were not limited to the 2011 coup against Sultan Qaboos in which a gang spies consisting of civilians and military men was set up to empower a pro-UAE government.

Last October, an Emirati whistleblower revealed the UAE’s plots against Oman, stressing that Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and Mohammed Dahlan, one of the defected leaders of Palestine’s Fatah movement, support the Omani dissidents in Musandam and Zafar.

He added that the two UAE officials have paid $16mln to the tribal leaders in Musandam to buy their support as Mohammed bin Zayed considers Musandam as a region occupied by Oman and has renamed it as Ro’us al-Jibal.

Amid an unprecedented diplomatic crisis in the Persian Gulf, where a Saudi-led blockade of Qatar has reached the six-month mark, the state of Oman has singularly avoided the fray.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, along with Egypt, issued a synchronized series of announcements in June to cut ties with Qatar, followed by a land, sea and air blockade.

Arab media reports said earlier this month that Oman, a country of 4.4 million people, has publicly stayed silent on the crisis and fallen back on its traditional role of political neutrality. But behind the scenes, Masqat has aided Doha in getting around the blockade, while benefitting financially from strengthened business ties between the two countries.