Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) annual Summit began in Kuwait this evening but minus the heads of States from Saudi Arabia , UAE , Bahrain and Oman. Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad however, is attending the two day annual meet.<br/><br/>Dr Anwar Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Saudi foreign minister Adel Al Jubeir, Bahrain's deputy prime minister, Mohammed bin Mubarak, and Oman's deputy prime minister, Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud, reached Kuwait City to take part in the 38th GCC summit, which is normally attended by heads of state.<br/><br/>AIR correspondent says that diplomatic rift between Qatar and the Saudi Arabia led coalition of UAE , Bahrain and Egypt seems to have cast its shadow on the GCC Summit. In June this year, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt had severed all diplomatic ties with Qatar accusing it of terror funding and spreading instability in the region, a charge which Doha denies.<br/><br/>Kuwait has been trying to mediate the crisis but has not been so successful. Amidst the ongoing Gulf crisis , Bahrain had even called for suspending the GCC membership of Qatar unless the demands are met.<br/><br/>Meanwhile, Faisal Al Mutlaqem, of Kuwait's ministry of communications, said the agenda for the gathering is set regardless of who attends or what is happening in the region externally. A joint press Conference is expected tomorrow at the end of the two days GCC Summit.<br/><br/>The GCC is a political and economic alliance of six West Asian countries-Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman. It was established in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in May 1981.