THE Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) endorsed on Tuesday the proposal of King Abdullah, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to form a “single entity” as the region faces new challenges. “The GCC leaders welcomed and blessed the proposal of King Abdullah, the current chairman of the Supreme Council, on the transition from the stage of cooperation to the stage of unity,” GCC Secretary General Dr. Abdullatif Bin Rashid Al-Zayani, said on Tuesday. The King's vision and ideas reflect current challenges in the region and the risks facing the Gulf countries. The challenges and risks require Gulf states to join forces and put the common interests of the people in the region and the Ummah above all. On Monday, King Abdullah said the security of Saudi Arabia and its neighbors is being targeted and called on Gulf Arab states “to move beyond the stage of cooperation and into the stage of unity in a single entity”. The Summit declaration mandates that a new vision should be adopted to speed up the implementation of projects aimed at making comprehensive reforms and strengthening of Gulf diplomacy in order to build a region that meets future challenges and the risks. The GCC leaders have directed the Ministerial Council to form a specialist commission to study the proposal and provide a report by March. They have agreed that Syria must embrace the Arab League plan it has signed, which calls for pulling out troops from population centers, releasing prisoners and engaging the opposition in a dialogue. The GCC has also called on Iran to stop meddling in the internal affairs of its members as the group expressed concern over attempts by Iran to “instigate sectarian strife” in Gulf states. Apart from this, the group expressed support for a Kuwaiti port project and urged Baghdad to step up efforts to normalize ties with its neighbors. The GCC initiatives are aimed at integration and cooperation with each other politically, militarily, economically and culturally in order to shape a bright future for the people in the region and the Ummah. __
