Qatar Emir Invited to Gulf Summit amid Diplomatic Row

Qatar Emir Invited to Gulf Summit amid Diplomatic Row

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) said Wednesday that Qatar's ruler is invited to the bloc's summit meeting next week amid efforts to heal rifts between Doha and a Saudi-led alliance.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani received a "formal invitation" from Saudi King Salman to the January 5 meeting of the six-nation GCC in Saudi Arabia's northwest Al-Ula province.

But it is not yet clear if Sheikh Tamim -- who was invited to the last summit but declined, sending then-prime minister Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani instead -- will attend.

As well as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the GCC includes Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In June 2017, Saudi Arabia led its allies the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt to cut ties with Qatar, saying it was too close to Iran and funding radical Islamist movements -- charges Doha staunchly denies.

After severing ties, the four countries issued a list of 13 demands for Qatar, including that it shut down its broadcaster Al Jazeera.

The Saudi-led quartet subsequently forced Qataris to leave, closed their airspace to Qatari aircraft and sealed their borders and ports, separating some mixed-nationality families.

Sheikh Tamim's participation would signal an easing of divisions.

On Wednesday, Saudi's cabinet said