ABU DHABI Ñ Saudi Arabia has withheld approval for a Qatari natural
gas pipeline that would run through the territorial waters of the kingdom.
Qatari officials said the lack of Saudi approval threatens plans to
extend a 580 kilometer pipeline from Qatar to Kuwait, Middle East Newsline reported. Part of the $2 billion
pipeline is meant to run through Saudi territorial waters and Riyad has not
responded to a Qatari request submitted earlier this year.
The Saudis have been furious at the speed with which Qatar has moved to improve its military ties with the United States at the same time U.S.-Saudi ties have become strained.
"We have to have the approval from Saudi Arabia," Qatari Energy Minister
Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Attiyah said. "We are still waiting. I hope that the
politics will not affect any economic cooperation."
Saudi Arabia has also been angered by Qatar's A-Jazeera satellite channel,
which has criticized the kingdom, as well as the emirate's welcoming of U.S.
troops. The pipeline is meant to supply Kuwait with 1 billion cubic feet of
Qatari gas per day in a project led by the U.S. ExxonMobil.
