![1230430781 Journalists watch the arrival of the Qatar envoy ahead of the 41st Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in the city of al-Ula in northwestern Saudi Arabia on January 5, 2021. - Saudi Arabia will reopen its borders and airspace to Qatar, US and Kuwaiti officials said, a major step towards ending a diplomatic rift that has seen Riyadh lead an alliance isolating Doha. The bombshell announcement came on the eve of GCC annual summit in the northwestern Saudi Arabian city of Al-Ula, where the dispute was already](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2021/01/GettyImages-1230430781.jpg/GettyImages-1230430781.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=wmuq9wUB)
![1230430781 Journalists watch the arrival of the Qatar envoy ahead of the 41st Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in the city of al-Ula in northwestern Saudi Arabia on January 5, 2021. - Saudi Arabia will reopen its borders and airspace to Qatar, US and Kuwaiti officials said, a major step towards ending a diplomatic rift that has seen Riyadh lead an alliance isolating Doha. The bombshell announcement came on the eve of GCC annual summit in the northwestern Saudi Arabian city of Al-Ula, where the dispute was already](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2021/01/GettyImages-1230430781.jpg/GettyImages-1230430781.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=wmuq9wUB)
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![1230430781 Journalists watch the arrival of the Qatar envoy ahead of the 41st Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in the city of al-Ula in northwestern Saudi Arabia on January 5, 2021. - Saudi Arabia will reopen its borders and airspace to Qatar, US and Kuwaiti officials said, a major step towards ending a diplomatic rift that has seen Riyadh lead an alliance isolating Doha. The bombshell announcement came on the eve of GCC annual summit in the northwestern Saudi Arabian city of Al-Ula, where the dispute was already](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2021/01/GettyImages-1230430781.jpg/GettyImages-1230430781.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=wmuq9wUB)
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