GCC achieving aspirations of its citizens for ... integration
Over the 38-year march
KUWAIT CITY, Dec 8, (KUNA): Over its 38-year march, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has made a host of strategic achievements and undergone numerous transformations to meet the aspirations of the citizens of its member countries who are bound together by a history of unity and fraternity.
The achievements notched up so far in the economic, political, military and security domains lay firm ground for the emergence of the Gulf union which became an urgent need amid the challenges and risks surrounding the region.
These achievements also constitute a robust framework for collective security to protect the interests of the GCC members and address the challenges and crises in the neighborhood.
May 25, 1981, a historic day for the region, saw the signing of founding treaty (charter) of the GCC in in Abu-Dhabi, capital of the UAE, by the leaders of its six-member countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The permeable of the document set forth the targets of future cooperation, coordination and integration among the GCC nations in all areas, capitalizing on common history, shared destiny and religious Islamic values, and similar ruling regimes.
Based on these noble objectives, the GCC countries were able to make outstanding achievements in various fields and coordinate their foreign policies.
They were able to put an end to the Iraq-Iran war on Aug 20, 1988, and liberate Kuwait from the Iraqi invasion on Feb 28, 1991, support Iraq’s unity, stability and sovereignty, back up the UAE right to restore sovereignty on three occupied islands, and lobby international support for the fair Palestine question.
Stabilizing
The GCC member states continue working together for stabilizing the situations in Lebanon, Syria, Somalia, Libya and Yemen, and putting an end to the atrocities against the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar.
Acting on shared vision for defending the interests of their countries against external threats, the GCC leaders adopted a firm response to the Yemeni crisis and the flagrant Iranian intervention in the domestic affairs of Yemen and other Arab countries.
In March 2015, they decided to launch the military Operation Decisive Storm, known later as Operation Restoring Hope, against the Iranianbacked Houthi militia in Yemen with a view to restoring the legitimate government of President Abed Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.
In January 2016, the GCC leaders decided to freeze relations with Iran against the backdrop of the latter’s backing to the subversive acts of the Houthi militia in Yemen and Hezbollah group in Lebanon.
The GCC defense cooperation dates back to 1981 when the chiefs of staff of the GCC countries held their maiden meeting in Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, to explore horizons of joint military action; they adopted several defense strategies and agreements over the following three decades.
In November 1982, the Supreme Council of the GCC convened its third session where the GCC leaders agreed to set up the Peninsula Shield Force (PSF) at an initial strength of 5,000, which expanded in December 2005 to 7,000 personnel.
During their summit meeting in December 2000 in Manama, capital of Bahrain, the GCC leaders approved the joint GCC defense treaty, which served as nucleus for the development of structures of military intervention, such as the Integrated GCC Missile Shield, and bridging the gaps in military capabilities of the GCC members.
The treaty stipulates that the GCC countries be legally bound to defend any of them in case of external threat. It also provides for strengthening the
military capabilities of the PSF in order to make it better able to repel any foreign aggression.
In early February 2003, in the runup to the US-led military campaign against Iraq, the State of Kuwait requested from the GCC defense ministers to deploy PSF units along its borders with Iraq to guard against potential ramifications of the conflict.
The GCC states stood by the Kingdom of Bahrain when it underwent violent acts In February and March 2011 and offered all possible political, economic and security assistance.
Due to the regrettable incidents, Bahrain requested activation of the GCC joint defense agreement, and thereby the GCC states deployed PSF units in Bahrain in March; this force played a crucial role in restoring security and stability in the kingdom.
In March 2015, the Operation Decisive Storm constituted a major transformation in the GCC states’ approach to dealing with external threats.
The GCC states realized that failure to respond firmly to the Houthis’ repeated violations of the Yemeni peace agreements could pose serious threat to the GCC security.
In April 2015, the Operation Restoring Hope, sought to alleviate the suffering
of the Yemeni people through speeding up the UN-facilitated peace talks and focusing on reconstruction. The operation constituted a major shift from military action to a political process based on the GCC-initiative, the UN Security Council Resolution 2216 and the outcomes of the Yemeni National Dialogue.
Regarding the security cooperation, it started from the meeting of the ministers of interior of the GCC states in Riyadh in 1982.
The meeting approved strategy for collective security including the combat against terrorism and transnational crimes, and cooperation in the fields of civil defense, criminal investigations, traffics and border control.
The meeting approved a range of measures to protect against illicit drug trafficking and nuclear radioactivity.
In 2003, the GCC states approved a strategy to combat violent extremism, and in the following year, they approved an agreement against terrorism.
In 2008, the GCC states approved the updated comprehensive security strategy.
In November 2012, they adopted a joint plan to build the capacity of antiterrorism units and the amended security agreement.
In 2015, they approved the launching of the GCC police force headquartered in the UAE.
As for the media cooperation, the GCC states adopted a code of conduct and a strategy for cooperation in such areas as external media, TV and radio, press and wire services.
Regarding the economic cooperation, the founding system of the GCC serves as the main point of reference in the quest for economic integration among the six member countries, including the economic agreement of 1981, the treaty of 2001, the monetary union, the trade cooperation, the customs union, the single currency and the common market.
The GCC states attached great importance to auditing cooperation as a means of economic cooperation and coordination of their stances at competent international organizations, such as the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) and the Arab Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (ARABOSAI).
As an important aspect of economic cooperation, the cooperation among the ‘zakat’ (alms or fund-raising) agencies coordinates the efforts of the GCC states towards integration.