Qatar emir invited to Gulf summit

RIYADH: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) said on Wednesday that Qatar’s ruler is invited to the bloc’s summit meeting next week amid efforts to heal rifts between Doha and a Saudi-led alliance.

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani received a "formal invitation" from Saudi King Salman to the January 5 meeting of the six-nation GCC in Saudi Arabia’s northwest Al-Ula province. But it is not yet clear if Sheikh Tamim -- who was invited to the last summit but declined, sending then-prime minister Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani instead -- will attend.