Qatar’s emir turns down invite to GCC meeting in Saudi Arabia | Financial Times:
The Emir of Qatar has turned down an invite to attend the annual gathering of Gulf leaders being held in Saudi Arabia, sending his prime minister instead.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the emir, had been invited to take his place at Tuesday’s Gulf Cooperation Council heads of state meeting in Riyadh, which would have sent a signal that the two were moving closer to resolving their long-running dispute.
But Qatar’s official news agency reported that Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani, the prime minister, would head the delegation instead.
Hopes had risen that the emir’s attendance would mark a turning point in efforts to end a rift that began when Saudi Arabia and its allies launched an embargo on Qatar in June 2017, accusing Doha of fostering Islamist extremism.
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| Qatari prime minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani (left) and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at the GCC summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday © Saudi Press Agency/Reuters |
The Emir of Qatar has turned down an invite to attend the annual gathering of Gulf leaders being held in Saudi Arabia, sending his prime minister instead.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the emir, had been invited to take his place at Tuesday’s Gulf Cooperation Council heads of state meeting in Riyadh, which would have sent a signal that the two were moving closer to resolving their long-running dispute.
But Qatar’s official news agency reported that Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani, the prime minister, would head the delegation instead.
Hopes had risen that the emir’s attendance would mark a turning point in efforts to end a rift that began when Saudi Arabia and its allies launched an embargo on Qatar in June 2017, accusing Doha of fostering Islamist extremism.
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