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Saudi
Papers Urge Gulf Leaders to Accelerate Integration
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| King Fahd and
Crown Prince Abdullah |
RIYADH,
Dec. 30 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Saudi newspapers urged leaders of
the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) meeting in Muscat Sunday and Monday to
accelerate the pace of economic integration, and King Fahd called upon the GCC
to move towards the integration that would enable them to achieve the
goals they all sought to attain.
"GCC
citizens are looking forward (to their leaders) to accelerate measures of
economic integration, in response to a new world ... in which major economic
blocs take the driver's seat," Saudi daily newspaper, Al-Jazira, said
Sunday, December 30, 2001.
The
paper said that due to similar conditions in member states, the six-nation
alliance is capable of providing an economic example to the rest of the Arab and
Muslim countries.
Another
daily newspaper, Okaz, noted that the GCC has so far failed to live up to the
aspirations of the Gulf peoples.
"Achieving
a real integration has been the desired hope that the GCC has been established
to realize, and … has failed to translate into reality, even at the minimum
required level," the paper said.
"We
have no time left to wait for other summits,” Okaz added. “The
challenges we are facing need many decisions, the most important of which is to
settle issues that had been delayed and establish a real integration."
Founded in 1981, the GCC consists of the oil-rich Gulf Arab states of Bahrain,
Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Another daily newspaper, Al-Youm, noted that the 22nd summit in Muscat was being
held during difficult times amid the "campaign on terrorism, the Middle
East conflict, the Iraqi file, the Iran-Gulf dispute and the Afghan issue."
"The
Gulf summit is greatly concerned with the developments in the world, mainly
international efforts to fight terrorism,” Al-Bilad daily newspaper said,
“and the unfair media campaign against the Islamic world" which aim at
pressurizing Arab countries, especially Saudi Arabia, to change their support
for the Palestinians.
"In
light of these issues, the (Arab) nation and the world are looking forward for
the resolutions and decisions of the GCC summit," it added.
In
an interview with Oman News Agency, Saturday, December 29, 2001, Saudi Monarch,
Fahd bin Abdul-Aziz al-Saud, said that when the GCC leaders first established
the Council, they were convinced that it was the best way to develop closer
relations and to move towards the integration that would enable them to achieve
the goals they all sought to attain.
“The
emergence of various political and economic blocs in various parts of the world
was clear evidence of the wisdom of the leaders’ vision when they first
decided to set up the GCC,” Fahd said.
“Although
its achievements may not be as great as had been hoped, there had been steady
progress and this would, with God’s assistance, enable it to continue and
establish stronger roots.
“The
GCC is a living entity with institutions designed to enable it to develop in a
positive way. The specialist ministerial councils meet regularly to keep the
wheels of the GCC in motion and call on the widest possible range of
expertise,” King Fahd added.
The
mechanisms under which the Council operates are constantly being updated.
Although the GCC’s citizens always hope to achieve more, Fahd sounded
confident that its leaders would do everything in their power to enable them to
achieve their aspirations.
In Muscat, six Gulf
monarchy leaders meet Sunday and Monday, aiming to go ahead with plans to form a
joint economic bloc, which will control nearly half the world's oil resources.
Bahrain,
Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE will endorse a customs union by
January 1, 2003, which will unify tariffs at five percent, delegates said. This
is intended to open the way to monetary union and a single currency in 2010.
Foreign
and finance ministers of the Gulf states met in Muscat Saturday night and
finalized draft resolutions due to be adopted by their heads of state or
representatives.
"We
agreed on the economic accord, the customs union and the single currency,"
said Oman's Foreign Minister, Yussef bin Alawi bin Abdullah.
This accord modifies the GCC unified economic
agreement signed when the bloc was founded in 1981 and calls for integration
between members of the six-nation alliance.
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