Bahrain boycotts Islamic summit due to border disputes with Qatar

The ruler of Bahrain Sheikh Hamad Bin Issa al-Khaleifa said on Monday he will not attend the Islamic summit due to be held in Doha on Sunday because of the border disputes between Bahrain and Qatar.

The Bahraini Gulf news agency said that the ruler of Bahrain told members of the Shoura council that it will be " inappropriate that he will visit sisterly Qatar until the release of the decision " of the International Court of Justice which is considering the case of the border disputes between the two states.

The agency added: " according to that the ruler of the country will not attend the summit of the Islamic conference due to be held in Doha, stressing Bahrain's appreciation for the objectives of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and its good wishes for the success of its works."

The agency added that " Qatar's claims to the waters and territories belong to Bahrain have undoubtedly affected the relations existed between the two countries and prevented the promotion of their bilateral relations."

However, the conflict pertains to sovereignty over Hawar and Fushit al-Dubble islands which are believed to contain large amounts of oil and gas. These islands are controlled by Manama and demanded by Doha. For its part Bahrain calls for restoring back al- Zabbara area on the Qatari coast.