Gulf leaders sign ‘solidarity and stability’ deal

Gulf leaders signed a "solidarity and stability" agreement in Saudi Arabia on as they met for the Gulf Cooperation Council annual summit on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia on Monday announced the reopening of land borders with Qatar after a three and a half-year spat that saw the kingdom, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain cut diplomatic and trade ties and impose a land, sea and air blockade on the Gulf state, reports the Al Jazeera.

The quartet accused Doha of, among other things, supporting terrorist groups and being too close to Iran, allegations that Qatar has consistently denied.

While the Saudi decision marks a major milestone towards resolving the Gulf crisis, the path to full reconciliation is far from guaranteed.

The rift between Abu Dhabi and Doha has been deepest, with the UAE and Qatar at sharp ideological odds.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said that there was a desperate need for a unified Gulf region, after the signing of the "solidarity and stability" deal.

"These efforts helped us reach the agreement of the Al-Ula statement that will be signed at this summit, where we affirm our Gulf, Arab and Islamic solidarity and stability," he told the GCC meeting, thanking the United States and Kuwait for their mediation.

"There is a desperate need today to unite our efforts to promote our region and to confront challenges that surround us, especially the threats posed by the Iranian regime's nuclear and ballistic missile programme and its plans for sabotage and destruction."

Leaders of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council signed two documents, the Al-Ula declaration, named after the Saudi city where the summit was held, and a final communique.

The content of the documents was not immediately available.