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Dr Mohammed Abdul Ghaffar

GCC countries urged to draw up Nato-like pact

Manama, April 24, 2014

The GCC countries were yesterday (April 23) urged to draw up a Nato-like joint strategy to deal with mounting challenges and deter threats.

"The GCC states have failed to date to approve a joint strategic concept of deterrent and balancing force," Bahrain’s His Majesty King Hamad's adviser for diplomatic affairs Dr Mohammed Abdul Ghaffar said.

He was speaking as he addressed a major conference spotlighting GCC national and regional security, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

The two-day event opened yesterday under the patronage of Deputy Premier Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa.

The Bahrain Centre for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (DERASAT) is holding the conference under the theme "Inside View".

Dr Abdul Ghaffar, also DERASAT chairman, stressed the mounting pressure on member states to modernise.

He cited the major challenges facing the GCC, focusing particularly on the controversial Iranian nuclear programme and the pitfalls of the Syrian crisis.

He said that GCC states have no option but to unite, warning against the colossal strategic losses of withdrawing from the six-member bloc.

Keynote speaker King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies chairman Prince Turki Al Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud highlighted the serious challenges and threats facing the GCC countries at this critical juncture of their history.

He described the new chasm in relations between the member states as the biggest danger jeopardising the future of the GCC.

He said that the so-called Arab Spring which started four years ago laid bare the untenable volatility of the Arab world as well pan-Arab development challenges.

Prince Turki also warned against the growing sectarian, religious and tribal polarisation that is posing a threat to the region. – TradeArabia News Service




Tags: Nato | GCC security |

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