Saudi, allies snub Qatar at crisis-hit Gulf summit
KUWAIT CITY — Regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia snubbed its former ally Qatar at an annual summit of Gulf monarchies yesterday as Kuwait vowed to continue mediation efforts in a bitter dispute with Doha.
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin HamadAl-Thani attended the Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Kuwait City but was not joined by the leaders of the UAE and Bahrain, also part of a Saudi-led boycott of Qatar.
The future of the sixnation GCC – formed 36 years ago to bring together the energy-rich Sunni-led Gulf Arab states – appeared to be hanging in the balance.
This year's meeting comes six months into a rift between Qatar and the Saudi-led bloc, the worst crisis ever to hit the organization.
The Qatari emir accepted an invitation, but just hours before the talks began, Saudi King Salman sent his foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, in his stead.
State television showed Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah alAhmad Al-Sabah receiving Jubeir at the airport as the head of the kingdom's delegation.
Sheikh Sabah, whose country has been leading thus far unsuccessful mediation attempts to resolve the crisis, said Kuwait would continue its efforts.
"We have been stormed in the past six months with painful and negative developments... but we managed to achieve calm," Sheikh Sabah said in his address opening the summit.
"Our meeting today is a reason to continue the mediation which fulfils the ambitions of our people."
He called for the GCC charter to be amended to establish a clear mechanism for resolving disputes between member states.
Kuwait Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah later told a news conference that "the holding of the summit amid these delicate situations proves the faith and conviction of GCC leaders in this organization".
The meeting, scheduled to last until Wednesday, was cut to a single day.