Proposal calls for Gulf Union support

TDT | Manama

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

A proposal calling for backing for the Gulf Union project has been put forward by MP Mohammed Al Rifai, who said it would lead to a steadier and more prosperous future for the peoples of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

He said the GCC, since its founding in 1981, had made clear gains in the economy, security and political coordination. But he argued that the strain and shifts facing the region now call for a move beyond cooperation and towards union, in a way that would deepen Gulf integration as a whole.

Al Rifai said Bahrain’s National Action Charter had already laid down the case for closer Gulf integration, adding that the security of the Gulf states forms one shared system that cannot be split apart.

The lawmaker said this gives a national and constitutional footing to any move towards a Gulf Union.

He said the project would bring a range of gains.

These include stronger collective security through a shared defence system, a firmer Gulf economy through unified markets and easier movement of trade and investment, and greater weight abroad through a single political stance on regional and world affairs.

He ended by saying the Gulf states have the historic, cultural and economic means needed to make such a union possible, and called for support for the plan as a key step towards a stronger and steadier future for the region.