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Congress rolls out red carpet in Washington for jilted GCC

The Senate is getting ready to extend diplomatic courtesies to the Gulf Cooperation Council as it prepares to open a Washington office.
U.S. President Barack Obama speaks with Oman's Deputy Prime Minister Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud al Said (L), Saudi Arabia's King Salman (2nd R) and Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa (R) during the summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 21, 2016. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque      TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY      - RTX2AYPD

Congress is rolling out the red carpet for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as the six-nation coalition prepares to open shop in Washington.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will vote May 19 on a bipartisan bill extending diplomatic courtesies to the officials and staff of a potential GCC office. The legislation was requested by the Barack Obama administration, which endorsed the idea during the president's fence-mending visit to Riyadh last month.

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