Brussels, 21/04/2011 (Agence Europe) - The 21st session of the joint EU-GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council: Bahrein, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia) cooperation council, which took place in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday 20 April, and was attended by Catherine Ashton, closed with a statement of general satisfaction of the parties, after reviewing the state of their cooperation under the cooperation agreement of 1988, and the affirmation of their willingness to “pursue their consultations to conclude their negotiations as soon as possible” for a new agreement based on “free trade”. The wording, which has become ritual, for several years, tries to mask a loss of interest in this agreement, which has been negotiated doggedly over some 20 years, but the finalisation of which is struggling over just a few points that have become harder to resolve in the absence of political will.
In order to maintain the relationship, a joint programme was initiated last year. It focuses on putting the governments, universities and scientific circles in touch.
In its resolution on the subject last March, the European Parliament pointed out and stressed that “the need for reciprocal access to the markets, effective protection of intellectual property rights, the removal of non-tariff obstacles from the provision of services, the promotion of sustainable development and the respect of international agreements, remain the issue”.
The weakness of the elements of economic cooperation (such as abandoning the business contact wording and the idea of joint projects) has affected the substance of the agreement in force, which was kept virtually identical to its previous version, to safeguard a minimum threshold of contact with a region which is vital to the EU, for its reserves of energy products, its financial reserves (one third of the entire planet's sovereign funds, and which may have “contributed to rescuing the global and European financial system in response to the crisis”), according to a report by the Parliament, and also due to the geo-strategic importance it represents, close to Iran and the Middle East. This no doubt explains the EU's prudence when discussing the issue of human rights with the six monarchies, even though it intends to make this issue the touchstone (communication of March this year for the most recent reaffirmation of this) of its external relations. The two groups of countries have expressed their faith in the common values of inter-religious tolerance and their joint commitment to promoting human rights, in line with the declaration on human rights and relevant instruments.
The main interest of the Abu Dhabi session on Wednesday, however, lay more in the political aspect and the examination of the situation in the Arab region and Middle East gave rise to an exchange of analysis, which included a discussion on Palestine, Iraq, Yemen and Iran, and the piracy which is prevalent in the ocean nearest the Gulf, off the coast of Somalia. The parties also discussed Libya, in view of the fact that the countries of the GCC, particularly Qatar, have given their backing to the coalition against Colonel Gaddafi who, they feel, has “lost all legitimacy”. “We remain determined to seek a rapid transition of power in Libya”, said Catherine Ashton, at a joint press conference with the Emirati Foreign Minister, Sheikh Ben Zayed Al-Nahyane. The GCC and the EU call for an “immediate and serious ceasefire” in Libya, according to a press release published after their meeting, based on cooperation between both sides and the examination of the regional and international situation. A single, flagrant, omission is the situation in Bahrain, one of the six countries of the GCC, whose internal political somersaults thereby remain shielded from any interference. (F.B./transl.fl)