SAUDI ARABIA: Gulf Arab leaders meet at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Riyadh to discuss closer political, economic and military ties

Record ID: 188978

  • Title: SAUDI ARABIA: Gulf Arab leaders meet at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Riyadh to discuss closer political, economic and military ties
  • Date: 15th May 2012
  • Summary: GCC COUNTRIES' FLAGS IN STREETS BANNER IN THE STREET OF RIYADH IN ARABIC READING "WE WELCOME LEADERS OF THE GCC COUNTRIES" EXTERIORS OF THE AL-DIRYEH PALACE, VENUE OF THE SUMMIT SAUDI KING ABDULLAH BIN ABDULAZIZ AND HIS CROWN PRINCE NAIEF BIN ABDULAZIZ ENTERING THE MEETING HALL FAHAD BIN MOHMOUD AL SAID, OMANI DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND SHEIKH HAMAD BIN KHALIFA AL-THANI, EMIR OF QATAR ENTERING MEETING HALL HAMAD BIN ISA AL-KHALIFA, KING OF BAHRAIN AND HAMAD BIN JASEM ,QATARI FOREIGN MINISTER ENTERING MEETING HALL ROYAL GUARD SHEIKH MOHAMMED BIN RASHED AL-MAKTOUM, PRIME MINISTER OF UNITED ARAB EMIRATES AND RULER OF DUBAI ENTERING SECURITY GUARDS VARIOUS OF GCC LEADERS MEETING MEDIA SAUDI KING ABDULLAH BIN ABDULAZIZ SEATED MEDIA AND DELEGATES LEAVING THE SUMMIT HALL MEDIA GCC LEADERS ARRIVING FOR FAMILY PHOTO VARIOUS OF GCC LEADERS POSING FOR FAMILY PHOTO
  • Embargoed: 30th May 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Saudi Arabia
  • Country: Saudi Arabia
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAC8KLF95C4CHEP07ZIHACDCS0Z
  • Story Text: Gulf Arab states will weigh closer political union at a summit of Gulf Arab leaders on Monday (May 14) aimed at pooling efforts to neutralise Shi'ite Muslim protests in the region that they believe is instigated by Iran.
    Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are among those likely to seek closer union first, according to a Bahrain government minister, building on already close ties that they share. Saudi Arabia sent in troops during a crackdown against mostly-Shi'ite protesters in March 2011 and supports Bahrain's economy.
    The Gulf monarchies accuse Iran, whose president recently visited a small Gulf island also claimed by the United Arab Emirates, of fomenting unrest among their Shi'ite populations.
    Iran denies that it is behind unrest among Shi'ites in oil-producing, Sunni Muslim-led monarchies across the Gulf. But after popular uprisings elsewhere in the Arab world over the past year, U.S.-allied Gulf Arab leaders are increasingly concerned that an uprising in Bahrain could bring a Gulf Arab nation under Iranian sway.
    The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, which also includes Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and United Arab Emirates, was formed in 1981 with the goal of closer economic cooperation, military coordination and establishing a common currency. The monetary union project has since stalled.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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