I thought I would return from Bahrain upon the end of the Gulf summit with new information from multiple sources about the reality of the wishes and fears of the Gulf states over the move from cooperation to their union into one entity, the policies of the Gulf states to resolve the domestic problems, the presentation of political initiatives in regard to the regional issues, and the nature of the upcoming relations with Tehran in light of the increasing complaints against its ruling regime. But in reality, I came back empty-handed, which is why I preferred – instead of repeating what was previously said – to go over a few sightings and events which occurred in the backstage, thus mentioning them without comments: - Four leaders were absent from the summit, i.e. the Saudi, Emirati, Omani and Qatari leaders, while the King of Bahrain and the Prince of Kuwait attended it. - Most people believed that the summit was very ordinary, since it did not discuss the setting of the priorities, in order to allow the GCC states to overcome the domestic crises and the mounting external challenges. - Despite the existence of a demographic strategy project for the GCC states, there was no clear vision for the handling of the major demographic flaw in some of these states, after the number of residents exceeded that of the citizens, in order to maintain the future and safety of these countries. - Conversations went on between journalists in the lobby of Al-Khaleej Hotel about the presence of disputes between the Gulf states, and it was expected to hear viewpoints pertaining to the means to rectify the cooperation path between the six states. However, the Gulf temper prevailed, the problems were postponed as it is usually the case, and the situation was covered up with the distribution of smiles. - The Sakhir Summit is the first Gulf summit not to be attended by the Prince of Qatar since he assumed power in his country in 1995, which reveals the existence of a silent dispute between Doha and Manama. This is not to mention the absence of Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hamad Bin Jassem. - The talk about a dispute between Bahrain and Qatar was enhanced by the prevention of the Qatari Al-Jazeera channel from covering the activities of the summit, although the Bahraini Information Ministry justified this ban by the fact that the channel was late in getting the required official authorizations. But some doubts dissipated after the young Bahraini crown prince and Qatari crown prince came out exchanging laughs, then rode a car together upon the end of the summit's activities. This gave indications of an agreement between them. - The Sultanate of Oman is refusing to join the union for the time being, preferring the continuance of the building of the GCC institutions until its completion. This goes in line with its position against the unified Gulf currency under traditional justifications – according to the sources – knowing that the Gulf states supported Masqat last year with ten billion dollars following the organization of wide-scale protests in the country against the spread of corruption and the bad economic policies. - Oman has public reservations over the nature of the Gulf discourse towards Iran, rejecting the tackling of the intentions without proof. However, it supports the Emiratis' right to the three islands occupied by Iran. - Although the GCC states welcomed the union initiative announced by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz during the Riyadh summit last year, the positions of some of them changed. Indeed, Qatar firstly welcomed it, then recommended patience and consultations. As for the Emirati and Kuwaiti positions, they grew more positive after they were reluctant, while Bahrain still desires and welcomes the proclamation of the union. - One of them described the patience shown by some Gulf states in regard to the union as being “fearful and wishful," at a time when Jordan is demanding the hastening of its accession to the Council. - The internal crises facing the GCC states were tackled, along with the expansion of the margin of popular participation in the absence of any talk about political and constitutional reform. - There is a unified Gulf agreement in regard to the security and military files. As for the other obstructed files due to bureaucratic considerations, they still require practical, honest and serious will, far away from media consumption. - Bahrain made sure to decorate the capital and celebrate the arrival of the official delegations. However, journalists were unable to attend the closing press conference, with a total absence of foreign journalists. Some said this was due to the concomitance between the summit and the Christmas holidays, which pushed some invitees to apologize at the last moment. - The closing statement was amended twice prior to the closing session, upon the request of the heads of the delegations. - The special Gulf summit which will discuss the transition into a Gulf union will be held in Riyadh in six months, and will likely be organized during the consultative summit of the leaders that is held in the middle of each year. - In conclusion, the summit did not produce anything new and rather featured a repetition of the speeches heard in previous summits. For example, the discourse of the closing statement towards Iran remained unchanged, and unbefitting of the Gulf complaints against Iranian interference in the affairs of the GCC states. What is certain is that the achievements of the Council throughout 33 years do not rise to the level of the popular hopes and aspirations and are still extremely limited. Happy New Year. [email protected] twitter | @JameelTheyabi
