Gulf countries could set up a unified police force to tackle serious organised crime, said a top official, adding that it would be similar to Europol, the European Union's law enforcement agency that handles criminal intelligence.

"One of our strategic goals is to secure the GCC against all threats specifically acts such as terrorism and external aggression," GCC secretary-general Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani was quoted as saying in the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

"To deal with this, we are considering establishing a GCCPOL similar to Europol."

He said GCC countries can only truly defend themselves while acting as a collective unit.

"The GCCPOL will help in dealing with serious organised crime," said Dr Al Zayani.

"Any attack on one is an attack on all and any tension should be resolved through political dialogue and co-operation between GCC leaders and allies. We have already established a GCC Emergency Risk Management Centre in Kuwait to help advise leaders on regional or anticipated threats."

He said the centre would also co-ordinate GCC disaster emergency aid and conduct training programmes.

The GCC secretary-general also spoke about enhancing the capability of the Peninsular Shield Forces to be ready for any military operation and external threats.

He also praised Saudi Arabia for rejecting a seat on the UN Security Council in protest at the global community's failure to stop the bloodshed in Syria.

His comments were backed up by Arab League secretary-general Dr Nabil Elaraby.

"It was a bold and historic step by Saudi Arabia to reject the UN Security Council to make the international community realise that they failed in stopping the bloodshed in Syria," he said. "This is a warning to the world that if the council functions without doing anything it will not be good."

He called on regional leaders to learn from their past mistakes, respect diversity, ensure fair distribution of wealth and end disputes through dialogue. – TradeArabia News Service