Qatar has received an invitation from Saudi Arabia to attend two emergency summits in Makkah to discuss mounting tensions between Iran and regional players.
Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad “received a written message" from Saudi King Salman inviting the government to join both emergency meetings on May 30, the Saudi government's information office said in a statement. Doha has not yet accepted the invitation.
King Salman’s call for talks comes after four oil tankers were targeted off the coast of the UAE.
A Saudi crude oil pipeline was also hit by Houthi drone strikes a day after the tanker attacks. Riyadh claims the rebels were following Iranian orders, but Iran has denied involvement.
King Salman proposed the two summits – one for Arab League members and one for Arabian Gulf leaders – to discuss the recent "aggression and their consequences," the kingdom's state news agency, Spa, reported.
Doha initially claimed it had not received an invite.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic ties with Qatar in June 2017 over alleged support for Iran and terrorism. Qatar has denied the charges.
The UAE has said the current "critical circumstances" in the region required a "unified Arab and Gulf stance".
The invitation was received by Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani during a meeting with the GCC secretary-general.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
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