The Gulf summit agenda
Gulf, Politics, 12/21/2004

In addition to the differences between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the GCC's 25th summit is expected to discuss the reflections of the political and security situations in Iraq on the region and several security, political and economic issues including terrorism, the situation in the Middle East and the Gulf economic integration process.

The Gulf leaders are also expected to discuss a decision recommended to reduce number of foreigners in the GCC member states estimated at 12 million most of them are Asians that transfer to their countries some $ 27 billion annually.

One Bahraini official said that the GCC member states will discuss a recommendation that states to reduce foreign labor which constitutes according to the Bahraini minister of Labor Majid al-Alawi "a danger on the culture of the Arab- Islamic region." One of the set recommendation proposes "defining the stay of the emigrant to four or five years. However, the number of foreign labor force working in the Gulf states is increasing at 5% annually which means that their number will toll 18 million after ten years.

Nevertheless, the GCC summit is being held amid calls for changes advocated by Gulf societies in defense of human rights in each of Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE in order to accelerate political reforms and to highlight human rights in the Gulf region.

In a message to the conferees, the judiciary societies demanded that the reforms include "organizing free and transparent legislative elections," in which women take part as well as permitting political parties in a way guarantees political pluralism and authority transfer as well as protecting human rights activists and releasing prisoners of opinion."

Previous Stories:
  Saudi crown prince is absent from Gulf summit   (12/20/2004)
  Gulf tour for the new Palestinian leaders covering Kuwait   (12/8/2004)
  Gulf defense ministers: No forces for Iraq   (10/5/2004)

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