Omani, Qatari reservations over Gulf common defense agreements

The Kuwaiti daily al-Rai al-Am issued on Wednesday quoted sources close to the meeting of the defense ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council, held in Dubai, as saying that Oman and Qatar had conservative positions over signing a common agreement among the GCC member states. The sources said no mention was given to this agreement during the inaugural speeches, adding that Muscat views this agreement as such as a matter to be decided by the leaders of the Gulf states, while Doha considers it as bearing political dimensions.