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Gulf States emerge as an economic force
Zahid Malik
Mascat—The Gulf States have become a power to reckon with and GCC
Summit to be held under the Chairmanship of His Majesty Sultan
Qaboos bin Saeed today (Monday) was acknowledged as start of a new
era of economically unified region.
The Sultanate of Oman gave last minute majestic touches yesterday to
the grand arrangements of the high profile 6-member moot to be held
at glittering Al-Bustan Palace Hotel where the Foreign Ministers met
yesterday.
Though there was an atmosphere of shock and awe in Muscat on account
of Israel’s gangster-like brutal attack on defence-less Gaza,
appropriately described by Oman as “highly deplorable”, a number of
ambitious projects to be discussed, and most probably approved, at
the Summit will definitely boost economy of the region and will add
an extra dimension to the joint march forward of the Gulf States.
At the Media Centre of the Conference, equipped with the
state-of-the-art facilities and formally opened yesterday by the
Minister of Information, Hamad bin Mohammad al-Rashdi, some senior
Gulf Journalists hoped that the Summit would produce results that
may not only cement existing ties but may even help promote family
bonds among the people of the Gulf States.
I share the optimism of these media men because the 6-nation
oil-rich group has common history, common aspirations and common
culture and I would say even common destiny. I had meetings with
some of the high-ups and I was encouraged to note that the
government and people of Oman has genuine interest in the welfare of
Pakistan. However, a Pakistani residing here for the last one-decade
expressed his concern over the way Pakistan is being run.
More will follow after I have watched the proceedings of the Summit
and after I have further studied the impact of intra-GCC rising
trade on the overall state of affairs of the region. However what
categorically can be said at present is that the Summit would set
the direction of the forthcoming Arab Economic Summit to be held in
Kuwait on January 19-20, 2009 on the timely initiative of the Amir
of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jabar Al-Sabah.
