The leaders of Egypt and Qatar held talks on Saturday in Baghdad, the first such meeting between the two nations’ heads of state in nearly a decade.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Sheikh Tamim, the Emir of Qatar, met on the sidelines of a summit in Iraq's capital.
The Iraqi government hopes the Baghdad Conference for Co-operation and Partnership will secure regional and international support for the country and reduce tensions in the region.
The Egyptian-Qatari meeting was reported by Mr El Sisi’s media office in a statement that said the two leaders discussed bilateral relations.
It was the most significant step to date by the two Arab nations as they normalise relations after nearly a decade of tension.
Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain severed ties with Qatar in June 2017.
In January, the five nations signed Al Ula Declaration to end the diplomatic and travel boycott of Qatar and to mend relations. They’ve since reopened their air space and borders.
In June, Mr El Sisi appointed an ambassador to Qatar.
Last year, the Egyptian leader met in Cairo with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, who is also deputy prime minister.
Relations between Cairo and Doha were tense even before 2017.
In 2013, Mr El Sisi, as defence minister, led the military’s removal from power of Mohammed Morsi, an Islamist president backed by Qatar.
His removal led to years of animosity between Egypt and Qatar.
Qatari commercial interests in Egypt, a mix of state and private investments mainly in hotels, banking and property, were largely unaffected by the tensions.
The Arab countries invited to Iraq's Baghdad summit on Saturday were the UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Iran, Turkey and France were also invited.
Representatives of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, the EU, members of the G20 group, the Gulf Co-operation Council and the Arab League attended as observers.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
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The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh135,000
Engine 1.6L turbo
Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode
Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
