DOHA: Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Qatar, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Ayfan, returned here yesterday, following an agreement to end a rift between Qatar and its neighbours.
Ayfan told reporters at Hamad International Airport (HIA) that he felt at home and that his return marked the beginning of a new chapter in intra-GCC relations.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain agreed with Qatar on November 16 in Riyadh to send their ambassadors back to Doha and end an almost nine-month-old dispute.
The envoys were recalled by their respective countries in early March this year.
In reply to a question, Ayfan said he hoped that the UAE and Bahrain would soon follow suit and send their ambassadors back as well.
Lauding the GCC leaders, Ayfan said their decision to end the diplomatic stand-off showed their keenness to solidify GCC unity and save it from any internal or external threats.
He praised the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and said Kuwait’s Emir H H Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah played an appreciable role in ending the row.
Responding to another question, the Saudi envoy said the preparatory ministerial meeting for the GCC Summit will be held here either by the month-end or in the beginning of December.
In another development, handball’s governing body said in Basel, Switzerland that Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates had changed plans and now wanted to play in the men’s world championships in Qatar.
Bahrain and the UAE withdrew their teams this month in an apparent boycott.
The IHF now says its member federations in Bahrain and UAE “wish to cancel their withdrawal from their participation.”
No reason was given for the decision. THE PENINSULA & AP
