الرئيسية
ABDUL HANNAN TAGO | ARAB NEWS
RIYADH: Hectic preparations are under way in the capital for the 32nd GCC’s Summit that will take place on Dec. 19 and 20.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah received GCC
Secretary-General Abdullatif Al-Zayyani at his palace in Riyadh last
Monday for a key meeting ahead of the summit.
Posters and flags of the GCC member states are already decorating the
city's main roads and the conference venue as senior secretariat
officials met to finalize conference schedules.
Analysts say economic and security issues are likely to be on top of
the agenda with a special focus on creating more jobs for Gulf citizens.
Ways to strengthen the GCC's unified defense force are also expected
to be discussed by GCC leaders. Such a defense strategy had proved
effective recently in Bahrain, according to analysts.
Recent developments in Syria and Iran issues will also figure on the agenda, they said.
Media reports suggest that this summit may also study, for the first time, an Egyptian application to join the GCC.
This request follows similar initiatives launched by Jordan and Morocco early this year.
There are also other topics such as the GCC’s efforts to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, analysts pointed out.
These issues were discussed at a meeting of the relevant secretariat team last Sunday, said officials.
In remarks made recently, Ambassador Hamoud Al-Roudhan, a senior
official in charge of GCC affairs at Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, said Kuwait’s proposals to the summit would include further
strengthening of ties among the member states.
He pointed out that the GCC’s new strategy envisages signing more
agreements with members of the international community within the
framework of the GCC’s aims and objectives.
The Kuwaiti official also expressed concern over Iran’s interference
in the Gulf region, adding that the Iranian media had been playing a
negative role vis-à-vis the GCC.
Saudi foreign relations expert Abdullah Alshamri, meanwhile, told
Arab News that the situation in Iraq in the wake of the US military
pullout and the Syrian crisis would also receive the attention of the
GCC leaders.
They will be debating the issues with greater confidence this time as
a result of recent successes achieved in resolving Yemen’s leadership
tussle peacefully.
RIYADH: Hectic preparations are under way in the capital for the 32nd GCC’s Summit that will take place on Dec. 19 and 20.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah received GCC
Secretary-General Abdullatif Al-Zayyani at his palace in Riyadh last
Monday for a key meeting ahead of the summit.
Posters and flags of the GCC member states are already decorating the
city's main roads and the conference venue as senior secretariat
officials met to finalize conference schedules.
Analysts say economic and security issues are likely to be on top of
the agenda with a special focus on creating more jobs for Gulf citizens.
Ways to strengthen the GCC's unified defense force are also expected
to be discussed by GCC leaders. Such a defense strategy had proved
effective recently in Bahrain, according to analysts.
Recent developments in Syria and Iran issues will also figure on the agenda, they said.
Media reports suggest that this summit may also study, for the first time, an Egyptian application to join the GCC.
This request follows similar initiatives launched by Jordan and Morocco early this year.
There are also other topics such as the GCC’s efforts to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, analysts pointed out.
These issues were discussed at a meeting of the relevant secretariat team last Sunday, said officials.
In remarks made recently, Ambassador Hamoud Al-Roudhan, a senior
official in charge of GCC affairs at Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, said Kuwait’s proposals to the summit would include further
strengthening of ties among the member states.
He pointed out that the GCC’s new strategy envisages signing more
agreements with members of the international community within the
framework of the GCC’s aims and objectives.
The Kuwaiti official also expressed concern over Iran’s interference
in the Gulf region, adding that the Iranian media had been playing a
negative role vis-à-vis the GCC.
Saudi foreign relations expert Abdullah Alshamri, meanwhile, told
Arab News that the situation in Iraq in the wake of the US military
pullout and the Syrian crisis would also receive the attention of the
GCC leaders.
They will be debating the issues with greater confidence this time as
a result of recent successes achieved in resolving Yemen’s leadership
tussle peacefully.