Saudi king on regional tour ahead of GCC summit

By
AFP
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DOHA: Saudi Arabia´s King Salman arrived in Qatar on Monday as part of a rare regional tour ahead of the annual summit of Arab leaders of the oil-rich Gulf states.

The trip comes at the time of a political transition in the United States and as deadly conflicts rage in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

Salman began his tour in the United Arab Emirates, a key pillar of a Saudi-led Arab coalition that has been battling Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels in Yemen since March 2015.

After Qatar, he will travel on to Kuwait and Bahrain, which is to host this year´s Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit.

His trip excludes Oman, known for its warm ties with the kingdom´s regional arch-foe Iran and the only GCC member which is not taking part in the Saudi-led coalition.

British Prime Minister Theresa May, visiting the Gulf for the first time since she came to office in July, will attend the two-day GCC summit which begins December 6.

King Salman sways to Qatari tunes

Upon arrival in Doha, the king was accorded a warm welcome. King Salman praised the men performing traditional Qatari dance, besides swaying himself to the tunes.