Brussels, 14/03/2006 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday the European Commission and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will resume their negotiations for concluding a free trade agreement. The two parties recently affirmed their desire to conclude negotiations as soon as possible, negotiations which have often stalled on sensitive technical points (trade, access regime for certain products such as aluminium, fishing products and petroleum products, public procurement and services etc.) and especially on elements of a political nature (clause on weapons of mass destruction). Divergences have been smoothed out. Discussions, however, have to be finalised and technical meeting on services, investment, rules of origin, customs cooperation etc took place on Tuesday in Brussels to deal with them.
On Thursday the EU and GCC will meet again for a Joint Cooperation Committee session (set up as part of the cooperation agreement framework of June 1988) in preparation of the ministerial session of 15 June. As well as a variety of points of an economic and technical nature (particularly energy and the environment), the two groups of countries will hold a political dialogue session concentrating on the situation in the region (Iraq, Iran, Yemen and the Middle East) and in the world (fight against terrorism, nuclear proliferation), and respective developments. The EU will speak about its neighbourhood policy and its action in the Middle East.