GCC summit offers insight into inter-Gulf relationships
Protocol is key but respect is king. How the leaders greet one another is often a good indicator of their relations
The GCC summit in Riyadh was notable for the opportunity of a rare glimpse into the personal relations between its leaders at what was otherwise a low-key affair held under the cloud of the Qatar crisis.
Although all members of royal families, the leaders’ interaction is dictated by a mix of modern protocol and social norms drawn from centuries-old and complex Bedouin traditions on the Arabian Peninsula.
Protocol is key but respect is king at the summit. How the leaders greet one another is often a good indicator of their relations.
On his arrival, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, greeted King Salman with kisses on each cheek but also one on the shoulder, denoting respect for an elder.
Other variations exist. Showing respect during the nose-bump, a traditional Bedouin greeting, requires the greeter to kiss the nose of the elder – as Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Presidential Affairs did when greeting the Saudi king.
Rank matters but age is important. King Salman and Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah are the two oldest rulers in the region and greeted with respect.
After a simple but warm embrace, the two octogenarians walked hand-in-hand along the tarmac.
The conversation between them in the royal majlis seemed the least forced, the back-and-forth earnest and uninterrupted by the pauses or laughs typical of these exchanges. But what they were talking about will remain a mystery.
Even the aircraft delivering the GCC leaders were subject to protocol. They would stop right before the golden escalators and fly the Saudi flag sideby-side with their own from a hatch above the cockpit.
In advance of the summit, the big question was how the Qatari delegation would be received, given the rift within the bloc after Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain cut off ties because of Doha’s policies that threaten their countries and the Gulf region.
The nature of the welcome they received remains unknown. The video broadcast of the planes arriving did not include the one carrying the Qatari delegation, although they were later present at the meeting table.
It is the subtext at these conferences that tell the story, even in the placement of the national flags. In the main press hall, the first row of flags had Saudi Arabia and Oman at the centre, Bahrain to the right and, surprisingly, Qatar to the left, all book ended by the Emirati and Kuwaiti flags.
The positioning was almost as if to send a message that the continuing integrity of the GCC was paramount.
The Qatari emir chose not to attend the event.
“See, we put the flags up. Qatar’s flag is in the kingdom. But [the emir is] not here,” a senior Saudi political analyst said with disappointment.
After an opening session that lasted less than an hour, the media had to leave to allow the start of closed-door consultations. But from a window in the press room the leaders were seen to leave the conference table after just 15 minutes.
The explanation given was that they were going to another room to discuss the agenda, because the giant round table is not conducive to the “close quarters” dialogue they wanted to have.
Ultimately, the fact that the summit took place is a success in itself. Amid their diplomatic standoff, the annual meeting continues to be the highest level of contact between the three boycotting countries and Qatar.