Qatar invited to Arab summits in Makkah by Saudi King

CAIRO: Qatar has been invited by Saudi Arabia to attend two emergency Arab summits being convened in Makkha on May 30, Qatar’s foreign ministry said, after previously saying it had not been.

Last week Qatar said it had not been invited to the two summits Saudi is planning in Islam’s holiest site to discuss the implications of drone strikes on oil installations in the kingdom and attacks on four vessels, including two Saudi oil tankers earlier this month.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt have imposed an economic and diplomatic boycott on Qatar since June 2017 over allegations that Doha supports terrorism.

Qatar denies the charges.

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received an invitation from Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to attend the summit of Gulf Arab rulers and a wider meeting of Arab leaders, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The invitation and a letter was passed to Qatar by the head of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the statement said, without saying whether Qatar would accept it.

Saudi Arabia accused Iran of ordering the drone strikes, for which Yemen’s Houthis claimed responsibility.

The kingdom said that while it did not want war in the region, it was ready to respond strongly.

Iran has denied it carried out either attack.