Manama: King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa will head Bahrain’s official delegation at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, this evening, the Royal Court has announced.
The announcement carried by Bahrain News Agency (BNA) is the first official indication that a GCC summit is to be held in Saudi Arabia, mainly with the view of ironing out differences ahead of the summit scheduled on December 9 in the Qatari capital, Doha.
The GCC, formed in 1981, groups Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
A deep mystery has so far surrounded the summit following the cancellation of the meeting of the foreign ministers last week during which the preparations for the top-level reunion in Doha.
Deep diplomatic divergences between Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE on one side and Qatar on the other have cast dark clouds over the annual summit and relations within the alliance.
Manama, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, charging that Doha was not complying with GCC principles and common policies, withdrew their ambassadors from Doha in March.
Qatar denied the charges, saying that it remained fully committed to the GCC and its objectives.
Mediation by Kuwait, the current holder of the rotating GCC chair, has resulted in the Riyadh Declaration and the setting up of an ad-hoc committee to resolve the diplomatic row.
However, progress, if any, has been slow, keeping the ambassadors away and raising doubts about maintaining Doha as the venue for the summit.
Qatar has invariably stated that the top-level meeting would be held in Doha as scheduled.
“The latest contacts by Kuwait’s Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad have resulted in an agreement that the Doha summit would be held on time, right after the Riyadh summit this week,” a Kuwaiti official told London-based Al Sharq Al Awsat.
“Several points of differences have been resolved and the few remaining issues can be settled by the GCC leaders in Riyadh. The efficient role by Shaikh Sabah has narrowed gaps between the points of view and we should expect a Gulf reconciliation in Riyadh,” the daily reported n Sunday without identifying the source.
Another Gulf national, quoted by Al Hayat daily, said that Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE “do not see the significance of holding a GCC summit in Qatar before reaching a final settlement for the crisis.”
“There is a tendency to keep Kuwait as the GCC chair for another year and to postpone the Doha summit until everything becomes clear about its commitment to its previous pledges,” the source told the London-based daily.
