Kuwait, Riyadh, Doha, Asharq Al-Awsat – During an emergency summit held in Riyadh Thursday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al Faisal confirmed that all GCC states were in support of the Egyptian ceasefire initiative.

The leaders of the GCC states confirmed that the Kuwait summit would go ahead as planned on Monday and agreed that special efforts would be made with regards to the issue of Israeli aggression on Gaza. The GCC emergency summit was called for by King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz following the escalation of the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.

After the summit, Prince Saud al Faisal stated that the summit was important for restoring ties within the Gulf ranks following the Israeli attacks on Gaza, and for consolidating efforts to ensure the success of the Kuwait summit.

The Saudi Foreign Minister stated that the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah had informed the GCC leaders [during the summit] that the Palestinian situation would top the agenda at the Kuwait economic summit.

Meanwhile, the emergency meeting held in Doha on Friday called for by Qatar turned into a [general] meeting. In response to a question on the Doha summit, Prince Saud al Faisal said that it had failed to obtain a quorum [of 15 Arab League states to attend, which is required to classify the meeting as an Arab summit]. He added, “What would have been discussed in Qatar will be discussed during the Kuwait summit.”

“The outcome of the summit, not its location, is what is important. No country is better than another,” said Prince Saud al Faisal.

The Saudi Foreign Minister refused requests to amend the Arab peace initiative and stressed its validity. He explained that Israel wants to gain more territory, and that it would please the Israelis if the Arab peace initiative failed as, “the initiative has enabled Arab states to penetrate the ranks of Israeli supporters in Europe and the Western world, and has become a pressuring factor on Israel.”

The emergency meeting in Qatar took place Friday, and an Arab diplomat informed Asharq Al-Awsat that the meeting would be held regardless of who attends. A Yemeni official also stated that Yemen would withdraw its support for the Doha summit.

Arab foreign ministers are meeting today in Kuwait in preparation for the Arab Summit to be held on Monday. Sources revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that more than 17 Arab countries would be represented by their leaders and heads of state at the Kuwait summit.