Kuwait’s Naif Al Hajraf has been named new GCC chief

RIYADH: The Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC’S) has named Kuwait’s Nayef Al Hajraf as its new Secretary-general.

Al ha j raf had served as kuwait’ s finance minister. He will succeed Abdul Latif Bin Rashid Al Zayani, whose term expires next year.

The six-nation GCC held its annual summit in Riyadh on Tuesday amid signs of a thaw between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which has led an economic boycott of its neighbour since 2017.

Saudi Arabia and allies Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates closed their airspace to Qatar Airways and banned travel to the country under the blockade.

In June 2017, the Saudi-led group formally cut off ties, accusing Doha of backing hardliners, including the Muslim Brotherhood, and seeking close ties with Iran.

The Riyadh-led bloc has said the crisis will not end until Qatar accepts its list of 13 demands, including that it shut down Al Jazeera, downgrade ties with Iran and close a Turkish military base in its territory. Doha has refused to bow to the demands. Qatar’s premier attended the summit, its highest representation since 2017, but there was no public mention of a 2-1/2 year boycott by its neighbours despite hints of a thaw.

Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Al Thani’s presence follows an intensification of efforts to resolve the row among US allies which shattered the GCC alliance amid growing Iran tensions.

Kuwait and the United States have tried to mediate the rift which undermined Washington’s efforts to form a united front against Iran, which is locked in a struggle for regional supremacy with Saudi Arabia.

A senior regional saidthat Kuwait recently was working “extremely hard to come up with reconciliation supported by the United States.”

Efforts to end the row, including unannounced Qatari-saudi talks in October, appeared to intensify after attacks in September on Saudi oil plants that initially halved the kingdom’s output and pushed the region towards war.

Riyadh and Washington blame Iran for the assault along with earlier strikes this year on tankers in Gulf waters. Tehran denies involvement.