3 - 9 January 2002
Issue No.567
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 3 - 9 January 2002 Issue No.567 |
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Better late than never
The latest Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Muscat might have marked a new start for the 22-year-old Arab gathering of oil-rich states, writes Sherine Bahaa
"We are not ashamed to say that we have not been able to achieve the objectives we sought when we set up the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) 20 years ago," Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah said at the opening of the two day annual summit in Muscat on Sunday.
In addition to Saudi Arabia, the GCC includes Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. The six nations, which maintain close ties with the United States, sit on nearly half the world's proven oil reserves. But, in making this statement, Prince Abdullah, who is responsible for running the daily affairs of oil superpower Saudi Arabia, was unexpectedly blunt.
"We have not yet set up a unified military force that deters enemies and supports friends. We have not reached a common market, nor formulated a unified political position on political crises," he added.
According to observers, the most significant decision reached by Gulf leaders in Muscat was on establishing a customs union by 2003 instead of 2005, a decision that paves the way for a long- sought free-trade pact with the European Union. The agreement makes provision for a single tariff of five per cent, compared with a current range of between four and 15 per cent, and is part of a wider plan for a single regional currency and a unified trade zone.
There was another first in that the Gulf leaders also agreed to begin the process of integrating impoverished Yemen into their club of oil-rich nations. The process will start by allowing Yemen to join GCC institutions that seek to promote education, labour and health.
Foreign ministers from Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen are expected to meet next week in Muscat to discuss the arrangements for the expanded membership.
As it was the first summit since 11 September, "positive interaction" was at the top of the agenda of the discussions that took place. In fact, much was expected from this summit, such as redrawing the council's strategy and giving up its more strictly rhetorical approach and embracing a more active and positive approach in dealing with controversial issues.
The meeting discussed the US- led war on terrorism and agreed to launch a media drive to counter what some GCC members perceive as a hate campaign against Muslims. They also reiterated their "strong condemnation" of the 11 September attacks in New York and Washington, affirming that those who carried out the acts are not true representatives of the Muslim faith.
The Gulf leaders have also confirmed their intentions to donate aid to rebuild Afghanistan. Gulf officials said that Saudi Arabia will send a delegation to represent the GCC nations in a donors conference for helping rebuild Afghanistan in Tokyo, Japan, later this month.
As regards the Middle East peace process, the GCC leaders called once more for the United States to pressure Israel to resume talks with the Palestinians and confirmed their backing of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat as the leader of the Palestinian people. Facing attempts by Israeli Prime Minster Ariel Sharon to isolate Arafat, the declaration by the Gulf leaders was seen as an important message to the US administration that they would not accept such plans.
Nothing was new in the GCC's final statement on either Iraq or Iran. The Gulf leaders called upon Iraq to implement all United Nations Security Council resolutions passed after its invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, and to solve the problem of Kuwaiti prisoners of war. They also called upon Iran to respond to a UAE initiative to hold direct talks in order to solve their dispute over Iran's occupation of three UAE islands.
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