Gulf states discussing union

From the Times of Oman on Monday:

Gulf Arab states will hold a summit this week to discuss a proposal to form an EU-like union.

A proposal to develop the Gulf Cooperation Council into a fully-fledged union has proven divisive, with Oman saying it would leave the GCC if the idea is approved.

"The summit is held amid extremely sensitive and delicate situations that require member states to study the consequences for the GCC," Secretary-General Abdullatif Al Zayani said ahead of the two-day summit, which opens tomorrow in Kuwait.

The summit comes a week after Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visited four GCC states to reassure them over the interim nuclear agreement.

Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al Sabah, whose country is hosting the summit, said on Friday that the conflict in Syria will be high on the agenda. The Gulf leaders are also expected to discuss Egypt.

Saudi Arabia in 2011 proposed creating a Gulf union, though it never spelled out what that would entail. Bahrain was an early supporter of the idea. Kuwait and Qatar have since come around to the proposal, while the UAE has not yet adopted a firm position.

Oman's Foreign Minister Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah on Saturday expressed his views on the idea. "We will not prevent a union, but if it happens we will not be part of it... we will simply withdraw" from the new body, he had said.

The summit began on Tuesday, as the Kuwait News Agency reported:

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Arab Gulf leaders have voiced desire for further integration with the objective of enhancing their unity in the face of regional and international challenges.

His Highness the Amir, addressing the 34th Summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Tuesday, called for integration to honoring aspirations of the Gulf people.

"We managed to prove to the whole world that the blessed march of GCC cooperation council, with all its indications, is capable of steadfastness and communication for serving the peoples of the council," His Highness the Amir said.

He emphasized that circumstances surrounding the region and developments taking place around the globe required more consultation and coordination.

"A closer look at the surrounding circumstances, both regionally and Internationally, clearly assures the importance of our meeting today, and the need to consultation, and exchange of views, concerning such circumstances, and their consequences upon our area, in a manner that fosters our solidarity, and enhances the steadfastness of our unity. Our meeting reflects our sublimity, and our cooperation reflects our power," said His Highness the Amir.

In fact, in the closing statement of the summit it was announced that the GCC approved the formation a unified military command structure.

Everyone knows that the idea is a response to the possibility of a nuclear Iran, but no one is saying it explicitly. The idea of an apparent US desire for a rapprochement with Iran, which even seems to be extending to Hezbollah, is clearly driving the Gulf nations to rely less on empty promises from Washington.