Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.

GCC leaders and officials have commended the significant role played by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to end the eight-month-old rift between three GCC countries with Qatar and strengthen GCC unity.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani commended the Saudi king for taking the initiative to hold an emergency summit in Riyadh on Sunday to end the dispute between his country and Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain.

“The summit was held in a brotherly atmosphere and King Abdullah played an important role to make it successful,” said Qatari Assistant Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Rumaihi.

Sheikh Tamim had sent messages to King Abdullah and Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah welcoming the outcome of Sunday’s summit, which resulted in sending back the ambassadors of the three countries to Doha.

“King Abdullah endeavored to make the summit successful reflecting the hopes and aspirations of the GCC people,” the Qatari Foreign Ministry said.

According to one report, Qatar had given a written undertaking during the summit to change its controversial policies within a month and end its media campaigns against Egypt.

The UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain have welcomed the summit’s outcome and praised the efforts made by King Abdullah and Sheikh Sabah to end the Gulf crisis.

“King Abdullah’s wisdom and his vision to strengthen the GCC by transforming it into a Gulf Union are highly commendable,” said Saudi Ambassador to Qatar Abdullah Al-Aifan.

The UAE said the summit, called and presided over by King Abdullah, was instrumental in bolstering GCC unity.

“We hope it will open a new chapter in inter-GCC relations,” said Anwar Qerqash, UAE state minister for foreign affairs.

The Kuwaiti Council of Ministers underscored King Abdullah’s efforts to strengthen cooperation and integration among GCC countries. It added that “a positive and constructive spirit had prevailed over the meeting of GCC leaders in Riyadh.”

Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled Al-Khalifa also noted King Abdullah’s leadership role in boosting joint GCC action. “The unity of GCC countries will help confront the challenges facing them,” he said.

Saad bin Tiflah, former information minister of Kuwait, also praised the Saudi king’s pivotal role in ending the crisis. “The king handled the crisis with wisdom giving priority to the interest of the GCC countries and people,” he added.

 
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