SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are expected to announce closer political union at Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) meeting in Riyadh

Record ID: 188972

  • Title: SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are expected to announce closer political union at Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) meeting in Riyadh
  • Date: 14th May 2012
  • Summary: RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (MAY 13, 2012) (REUTERS) GCC FLAGS IN RIYADH STREET TRAFFIC IN RIYADH/GCC COUNTRIES' FLAGS MORE OF FLAGS WIDE OF MEETING AT THE GCC HEADQUARTERS WITH FOREIGN MINISTERS SEATED LOGO OF GCC COUNTRIES FOREIGN MINISTERS SEATED AROUND TABLE SAUDI FOREIGN MINISTER SAUD AL FAISAL SEATED BAHRAINI FOREIGN MINISTER SHEIKH KHALID BIN AHMED AL KHALIFA SEATED GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL (GCC) SECRETARY-GENERAL ABDUL LATIF AL-ZAYANI SEATED GCC LOGO AND MEETING ROOM KUWAIT FOREIGN MINISTER SHEIKH SABAH KHALID AL-HAMAD AL-SABAH AND BAHRAIN'S SHEIKH KHALID BIN AHMED AL KHALIFA LEAVING MEETING (SOUNDBITE) (English) BAHRAINI FOREIGN MINISTER, SHEIKH KHALID BIN AHMED AL KHALIFA, SAYING: "Everything will happen tomorrow. The summit will discuss all the points including the points of the union." FLAGS AND LOGO OF GCC (SOUNDBITE) (English) BAHRAINI FOREIGN MINISTER, SHEIKH KHALID BIN AHMED AL KHALIFA, SAYING: "The union covers all aspects of the cooperation, let's leave it till tomorrow." SHEIKH KHALID BIN AHMED AL KHALIFA LEAVING
  • Embargoed: 29th May 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Saudi Arabia
  • Country: Saudi Arabia
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVADJ6OTG1AUCK6UGRZQEDWRI2L7
  • Story Text: Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are expected to announce closer political union at a meeting of Gulf Arab leaders on Monday (May 14), a Bahraini minister said, a move dismissed by the opposition as a ruse to avoid political reform.
    The decision is part of a strategy to increase integration within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), as the organisation's six nations fret about Iran's power in the region and the presence of al Qaeda after the Arab uprisings.
    Saudi Arabia and Bahrain might initially seek closer union, local media have said, as both share a concern about discontent among Shi'ite Muslims against their ruling Sunni dynasties, and accuse Shi'ite Iran of fomenting it - a charge Iran denies.
    Saudi security forces entered Bahrain in March 2011 ahead of a crackdown on pro-democracy protests which had been led mainly by majority Shi'ite Muslims against the Sunni Al Khalifa monarchy, a U.S. ally.
    "Everything will happen tomorrow. The summit will discuss all the points including the points of the union," said Bahraini foreign minister Sheikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Al Khalifa as he was leaving the meeting on Sunday (May 13).
    "The union covers all aspects of the cooperation, let's leave it till tomorrow," he added.
    Asked about reports there would be a first stage involving only two or three GCC members, the Bahraini foreign minister said he was talking about "all the countries".
    Samira Rajab, Bahrain's minister of state for information affairs, told Reuters on Sunday she expected there would be an announcement of "two or three countries".
    Two of the countries mentioned were Saudi Arabia and Bahrain; Rajab did not name the third.
    Despite appearances of unity, there are deep divisions within the GCC, which also includes Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, as the council's officials meet in Riyadh on Monday for day-long talks.
    Saudi Arabia fears that Bahrain's pro-democracy movement has the potential to spill over into its own Shi'ite-populated Eastern Province region, home to major oilfields.
    Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made a surprise visit to an island claimed by the UAE last month, stoking fears among Gulf rulers of growing Iranian influence since the 2003 invasion of Iraq brought Iran's allies and fellow Shi'ites to power there.
    With its Fifth Fleet in Manama, the United States sees Bahrain's Al Khalifa family as an ally in stemming Iranian influence in the Gulf, even though Washington has not said it believes that Iran is behind unrest in the kingdom.
    Last week, Washington said it would resume arms sales to Manama, drawing condemnation from international rights groups.
    Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are already joined at the hip, though the island's social liberalism could come under threat if a merger took place.
    Saudi Arabia allows Bahrain access to an oilfield it owns, providing 70 percent of its budget, while Saudis have traditionally flocked to Bahrain for weekend relief from Islamic restrictions on gender mixing, female driving and drinking alcohol.
    Justin Gengler, a researcher based in Qatar, said hardliners including the prime minister, army chief and royal court minister see a union as a way of stopping the empowerment of Shi'ites and preserving the privileges of the ruling family.
    A monetary union project has faltered, and other differences also run deep however.
    The Arab Spring uprisings have been a challenge for Gulf rulers. Saudi Arabia took action to stop the spread of unrest to Bahrain after being shocked to see Hosni Mubarak fall in Egypt without American intervention to save him.
    Rajab said there were "reservations" among some GCC members over the union, while the deputy head of Bahrain's appointed upper house of parliament said he was sceptical.
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