Kuwait prepares for hosting GCC Summit

First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Kuwait Shaikh Sabah Al Khalid Al Hamad Al Sabah has said on Sunday that his country has completed preparations for hosting the 38th Gulf Cooperation Council Summit. During his attendance of the UAE’s 46th National Day celebrations at the country’s embassy in Kuwait, he said: “Kuwait will welcome GCC leaders on Tuesday and Wednesday.” A ministerial meeting is due to kick off on Monday ahead of the summit, added Shaikh Sabah Al Khalid, who hoped the talks would support the continuation of the bloc’s welcomed accomplishments. According to the KUNA, he also highlighted the depth of Kuwaiti-UAE relations, under the leadership of both Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah and UAE President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Uncertainty continues to prevail on whether GCC countries will be attending the 38th GCC summit which is set to be held on Tuesday and Wednesday. Kuwait had invited the GCC countries and while Qatar confirmed its presence, the boycotting countries did not. On an earlier occasion, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain had said that they refuse to participate in any summit which includes Qatar. However, according to an Al Arabiya Channel correspondant on  Monday,  the Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir arrived in Kuwait in the afternoon. . The Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said on Sunday that Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani will be participating at the summit. The Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah held a meeting with the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Abdullatif al-Zayani with the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah. The meeting also touched upon preparations for the upcoming summit.  On his hand, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will attend this week’s Gulf Cooperation Council summit, the first official gathering of the bloc since Saudi Arabia and three allies severed ties with Doha in June. Talks will include the GCC crisis, Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said in a public lecture in Doha on Sunday, adding that the Qatari government had yet to receive the formal agenda for the meeting. Saudi Arabia along with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic and transport links with Qatar, accusing it of funding extremism and criticizing its ties with Shiite-led Iran. Doha has repeatedly denied the allegations. The Saudi-led bloc has demanded that Qatar shut down Al Jazeera television, refrain from backing Islamist groups and scale back relations with Tehran. The standoff has endured despite regional and international efforts to end the embargo and reunite the oil-rich region. Kuwait’s ruler, Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, who is hosting the meeting, sent the invitation to Qatar, the state-run Kuwait News Agency reported on Thursday. The summit is scheduled to be held on Dec. 5-6 in Kuwait, which has attempted to mediate the dispute. Qatar’s foreign minister said on Sunday it’s not acceptable to have foreign demands imposed on his country, and that Qatar is willing to discuss concerns that relate to collective security in the region.