Saudi Arabia hosts summit amid Qatar tensions

RIYADH: The Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) annual summit was set to open in Riyadh with regional unity imperilled by a bitter row between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which is mired in a diplomatic crisis over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The one-day gathering of leaders from the six member states is expected to focus on security issues, including the Yemen war and Iran’s regional activities, and may touch on oil politics and a protracted boycott of Qatar by some neighbours.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and non-GCC member Egypt cut diplomatic ties with Qatar in June 2017 over allegations of supporting terrorism.

Qatar, which last week abruptly announced it was withdrawing from the oil exporters’ group Opec, denies the charges and says the boycott aims to curtail its sovereignty.

The Saudi king has invited Qatar’s emir to the summit, but Doha has not said what level of representation it would send.

Following global outrage over the Oct 2 murder of Khashoggi at Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul consulate, Washington has increased pressure on Riyadh to end the nearly fouryear-old Yemen war that has pushed that country to the brink of famine and to restore ties with Qatar for a united Gulf front against Iran.

A US State Department official said that Washington would continue to support the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen and urged Gulf states to mend fences, including to enable a proposed new Middle East alliance that would include the Gulf bloc, Egypt and Jordan. — Reuters