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With a sigh of relief, we all watched Saudi Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz arriving in Doha. The landmark visit and the meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, ends nearly six years of strained relations between the two Gulf Cooperation Council states.
Although King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz attended the Gulf Summit in Doha in December, this is the first official visit by a Saudi leader to Qatar since relations between the two neighbours soured in 2002.
The dispute affected the entire joint work of the GCC. Saudi Arabia and Qatar differed on almost all issues concerning the organisation, from relations with the United States and Israel to the current Lebanon crisis. Economically, there were sharp differences that delayed number of cross-GCC projects.
With the visit of Prince Sultan, it is certain that the GCC will be stronger, unified in policy and faster in implementing long due projects, such as the rail network, cross-border bridges and most importantly the monetary union.
Also, the GCC will be able to draw up a unified and strong policy on the possible developments on the Iran issue, from a political standoff to a military conflict.
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