GCC leaders assign FMs to continue consultations over cooperation-to-union

Arab Gulf leaders assigned their Foreign Ministers to continue consultations over Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz's proposal to transform from the state of cooperation into a union. In a final communique at the end of their two-day summit, leaders of the Gulf Cooperation council (GCC) said they reviewed the outcome of consultations that took place so far over King Abdullah's proposal, made at the GCC summit in Bahrain last December. They added they assigned the foreign ministers to continue the deliberations over this matter. During the Bahrain summit, the GCC leaders highly appreciated the Saudi Monarch's call to transform the state of cooperation into a solid union that meet aspirations of the Gulf people. The Charter of the GCC stipulates integration in different domains. Article four of the Charter called for effective coordination, integration and inter-connection between member states in many fields - like economy and finance, commerce, customs and communication, education and culture - in order to achieve unity. The GCC consists of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman. The GCC is a political and economic alliance that was established in May 1981, with the objective of achieving unity among its members based on their common objectives and their similar political and cultural identities.