The now-annual GCC summit is becoming more like a gesture of protocol rather than cooperation, Sherine Bahaa reports Gulf monarchs held their 26th summit with an ambitious agenda that led to high expectations that were dashed as the meeting unfolded. Observers and officials said differences between the countries were obvious but hidden by a joint statement issued at the end of the summit. The statement "avoided any of the sensitive topics which would reflect differences between members", said one official who preferred anonymity. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) brings together Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar. Arab observers said they were happy, however, that the statement did not name Iran as a threat to the Arab countries of the Gulf. Earlier reports had indicated that Iran, which faces United States and European hostility over its nuclear programme, would be mentioned in the statement. Analysts have said Iran's increasing confrontation with the West over its nuclear ambitions may have worried Arab Gulf leaders. "The Gulf states will pay the price for any escalation between Iran and the West," said the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research in a statement, alluding to fears that Iran would retaliate to a US attack by striking any of the US bases located in the Gulf. In declaring support for a mass destruction- free Middle East, the statement mentioned Israel, which is widely believed to have stockpiled hundreds of nuclear warheads. Israel has refused to confirm or deny the existence of a nuclear arsenal, and has refused to allow weapons inspectors into its nuclear reactor. Another issue of concern to Gulf countries is the expanding Shia influence of Iran in Iraq. Several Gulf countries have large Shia populations, leading to concerns that a pan- Shia movement in the region could destabilise the Sunni-ruled Gulf regimes. GCC leaders applauded the legislative polls in Iraq in which the Sunnis scored a victory, expressing their hopes that the results would turn a new page in the history of Iraq and secure the territorial integrity and stability of Iraq. The summit was the first in years in which all Gulf monarchs were present, except for the Kuwaiti emir, who sent the Kuwaiti prime minister. The summit was announced after Saudi Arabia's King Fahd died earlier this year. The statement had mild words for Syria, despite Saudi influence in the GCC. According to a Saudi official, Riyadh pressed for Gulf leaders to demand Syria to cooperate with a UN probe into the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Al-Hariri, who enjoyed close ties with the kingdom. Discussions on regional economic cooperation did not signal a remarkable shift from previous summits. GCC states have already agreed on several key criteria for economic and fiscal policies and approved setting up a central bank for the group. But observers say the countries are moving slowly in implementing the policies, adding that the countries act on their own. One Arab delegate appealed to Gulf leaders to turn any bilateral trade agreements into deals for the whole bloc. Expressing the widespread frustration towards the summit, UAE President and host of the summit Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed said: "what has been accomplished so far does not meet our ambitions and the expectations of our people, who are demanding that we be more resolute and less argumentative."
