European talks: Arab League holds first summit with EU

The inaugural summit between the European Union and the League of Arab States, held in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh over two days in late February, provided few surprises, amid a distinctly mixed approach to the event by Gulf governments – while some countries’ delegations were led by heads of states, others were fronted by more lowly diplomats. Among the first group were King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa of Bahrain, President Barham Salih of Iraq, Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah of Kuwait, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia and President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi of Yemen.