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A10 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 11 december 2019

Gulf leaders meet in Saudi Arabia under looming Iran threat

By AYA BATRAWY Qatar was represented
Associated Press at the Gulf summit by
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia the country’s prime min-
(AP) — Arab Gulf leaders ister rather than the rul-
gathered in Saudi Arabia ing emir. There had been
on Tuesday for an annual some speculation among
summit that was intended analysts that Qatar’s ruler
to showcase their unity in Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad
the face of shared threats. Al Thani might attend the
But looming over the meet- summit amid talk of rec-
ing were their frayed ties onciliation. Others said he
and heightened worries would never be seen visit-
about Iran. ing any of the four coun-
For all their diverging views tries so long as their block-
and interests, members of ade on Qatar persists.
the six-nation Gulf Cooper- King Salman, who greeted
ation Council share a com- Gulf leaders as they arrived
mon goal of stability in the for the summit, was shown
Strait of Hormuz, the nar- sharing a traditional coffee
row shipping corridor that’s with Qatari Prime Minister
vital to their energy exports Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser
from the Persian Gulf. The Al Thani minutes before the
GCC bloc is composed of meeting began.
Saudi Arabia, the United Sigurd Neubauer, a Mid-
Arab Emirates, Qatar, Ku- east analyst based in
wait and Bahrain. Washington, said recent
Attacks blamed on Iran A Qatari flag flies in front of a banner showing Saudi King Salman with Arabic reads, “We pledge attacks on oil targets in the
you to listen and obey” at a trade center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Monday, Dec. 9, 2019 ahead of
this summer, including a the Gulf Cooperation Council “GCC”, 40th summit. Persian Gulf have acceler-
stunning missile and drone Associated Press ated the need for Gulf rec-
attack on a major Saudi onciliation.
crude processing facility, in the face of Iran’s ag- in his opening remarks. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, “The external threat to the
have rattled the region. gression and the countries The king’s comments fol- Bahrain and Egypt accuse GCC is significant now
Tensions in the Gulf be- of the Gulf Cooperation low signs of a diplomatic Qatar of supporting the from Iran as opposed to
tween Tehran and Wash- Council must secure them- thaw among those Gulf Muslim Brotherhood, an Is- just a year ago,” he said.
ington have also escalated selves in the face of ballis- states that cut ties with Qa- lamist group they view as a Omani analyst Abdullah
sharply in recent months. tic missile attacks,” Saudi tar and blockaded the tiny threat to regional security. Baabood added that the
“The Gulf region must unite Arabia’s King Salman said nation two years ago. They also accuse Qatar of economies of Gulf coun-
having close ties with Iran. tries and their oil exports
Qatar, which shares a mas- are at risk if the Gulf is not
sive underwater gas field secure.
with Iran, says its commit- Qatari Foreign Minister
ments have always been Mohammed bin Abdul-
“to uphold international rahman Al Thani acknowl-
law and protect human edged last week that there
rights and not to a specific have been talks with Saudi
party or group.” Arabia.q

Bosnian police clear

migrants from camp near

old minefield

Associated Press
BIHAC, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Bosnian police
rounded up migrants at a tent camp Tuesday and or-
dered them to board buses that would take them to
what was described as a better facility near the capi-
tal of Sarajevo.
The Vucjak camp where the migrants were living has
almost no facilities. Local authorities set it up last sum-
mer on a former landfill close to a minefield left over
from Bosnia’s 1992-95 war.
The camp near the city of Bihac was deemed un-
suitable for human habitation and Bosnia has been
roundly criticized for housing migrants there.
While migrants protested the conditions in the Vuc-
jak camp, including staging a 3-day hunger strike last
week, they opposed being moved away from Bos-
nia’s border with Croatia. q