Neighbours overwhelmed, Gulf just gives funds

The oil-rich Arab nations may be facing criticism in the Western media for their reluctance to accommodate refugees from Syria, the public opinion in these countries is critical of the West for the mess it has created in Syria. “Gulf intellectuals have taken a political stand that the West precipitated this crisis by not taking decisive political and military action. Hence, they feel, the West should bear the consequences as well,” says Dr N. Janardhan, Gulf-based political analyst and honorary fellow of the University of Exeter, Britain.

The six Gulf Cooperation Council states of Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, which are not signatories to the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention that both defines a refugee and governs rights and responsibilities of states towards them, have been very generous with the funds for the refugees. Kuwait has pledged to donate $800 million since 2012 and the UAE has given $364 million.

“Buying your way out of this is not satisfactory,” said Peter Sutherland, UN special representative for migration and development, pointing out that the wealthy Gulf states

had taken in very few refugees, those also on job visas. “The entire Middle East has been polarised at one level along Arab and non-Arab, Muslim and Christian, rich and poor, Arab and Persian, and most importantly, Sunni and Shia. The GCC countries are Arab, Muslim, predominantly Sunni, relatively rich, while most Iraqis and a good part of Syrians are Shia and even Christian, apart from being relatively poor,” explains Dr Janardhan.

These nations are home to immigrant majority, but keep all rights vested in their citizens, who are in a minority. “Migrant workers in some of the GCC countries are referred to as ‘temporary contractual workers’, following to an agreement with the ILO. This means an expatriate stays only as long as he or she has a job — ‘a permanent state of impermanence.’ This serves as a safety mechanism for the GCC governments against providing certain rights to guest workers.

that immigrants normally are entitled to in the West. If refugees were accepted, the terms of their stay in the country would have to be redrawn, which opens untested frontiers,” he adds.

“In such a scenario, it is natural that they would not want more expatriates, especially the ‘refugee’ kind, who would have more negative than positive baggage.” However, Dr Janardhan explains that the GCC countries have accepted refugees in the past. “Some Palestinians, Yemenis and Lebanese, who fled turmoil in their countries took refuge in the GCC countries and have even been naturalised as citizens. Many Kuwaitis, who fled their country following the Iraqi invasion in 1990, took temporary shelter in the GCC countries too.”

According to Jane Kinninmont of Chatham House think-tank, the Gulf nations could be mobilised for a long-term response to what is likely to be a protracted refugee crisis. “Such ideas could potentially include Gulf aid contributions to housing and training projects for Syrian refugees not only in Jordan and Lebanon, but for refugees settling in European countries,” she says.