Priorities…
Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa attends horse show.
King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa skipped Barack Obama’s summit at Camp David to attend the Windsor Horse Show with the Queen of England.
The Daily Star reported:
Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa has skipped a Gulf Arab summit with U.S. President Barack Obama, and will instead join Britain’s Queen Elizabeth at a horse show and also discuss bilateral relations with her.
Like Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, King Hamad has decided to send his crown prince to the United States in his stead, in a perceived snub over Obama’s drive to reach a nuclear deal with Iran, the arch-rival of America’s traditional Gulf Arab allies.
The no-shows have reduced the prestige of the May 13-14 gathering and may undercut its ability to resolve U.S.-Gulf rifts over how to deal with Iran and wars in the region.
A Bahrain royal court statement said the king would leave for Britain Thursday at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth to attend “the joint yearly celebration at Windsor” – an apparent reference to the Royal Windsor Horse Show.
Dear Mr President, I cannot attend GCC summit as I will be at HRH's UK horse show. U̶p̶ yours, King Hamad of #Bahrain pic.twitter.com/UisxGaFOQy
— Nicholas McGeehan (@NcGeehan) May 13, 2015
