Qatar Emir Snubs Saudi Summit Invite as Gulf Rift Festers
- Issues that led to 2017 Gulf boycott haven’t been addressed
- U.S. pressure on the kingdom has grown since Khashoggi murder
City skyscrapers stand on the skyline in Doha, Qatar.
Photographer: Gabriela Maj/Bloomberg
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The invitation from Saudi Arabia’s King Salman to his Qatari counterpart to attend Sunday’s gathering of Gulf monarchies, after 18 months as a regional pariah, wasn’t enough to build a bridge between the feuding countries.
The overture, rejected by Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, came as Saudi Arabia sought to defuse pressure over the killing of a vocal critic in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia’s leadership is also under pressure from the U.S. Congress to mend regional divisions and end its war in Yemen.