Inside Story

Putting the GCC house in order

Can the Doha summit end the deep divisions among the Gulf Cooperation Council countries?

Leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries will meet in the Qatari capital on Tuesday for a summit being held after months of tension between its members.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain withdrew their ambassadors from Doha last year, accusing Qatar of interfering in their domestic affairs and supporting so-called Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood.

A summit in the Saudi capital Riyadh last month managed to overcome the crisis that seriously threatened to break up the GCC itself. As a result the three ambassadors returned to Doha, paving the way for the Doha summit.

But can the gathering end the deep divisions among the GCC countries? And is the bloc itself serving any purpose?

Presenter: Hazem Sika

Guests

Khaled Batarfi, Assistant Professor, Al-Faisal University. He is also a senior columnist with Saudi Gazette newspaper.

Saeed al-Shehabi, Bahraini political activist.

David Roberts, Lecturer at King’s College London.