Dr. Khalid Al-Shafi
At Camp David, Gulf countries put forward their vision and conveyed their opinions directly to Washington about many regional issues, especially Iran’s nuclear programme.
The Gulf countries said they were ready to welcome a nuclear deal with Iran, provided that Tehran transforms itself from a country that supports hostile militias, exports revolution and feeds sectarian divisions, to a friendly neighbour that contributes to the stability and peace in the region.
The GCC believes that an unconditional openness and the absence of real guarantees on its aggressive behaviour will lead to an increase in the power of Iran and will lead to its intervention in the security of our region which already suffers from a power vacuum, especially in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. Also, it will trigger an arms race and Gulf countries will not be able to remain mere spectators.
The Camp David statement focuses on three things — military cooperation, cooperation in the fight against terrorism and in confronting regional challenges.
At the same time, there has been criticism that this is a traditional understanding between US and the Gulf countries, and contains nothing new. What Camp David has achieved is a reaffirmation of old commitments and talking about general agreements and promises doesn’t help.
The White House has said it’s open to the idea of giving all Gulf countries the non-Nato ally status, which it currently gives to Kuwait and Bahrain.
There is a need for further communication and cooperation between both sides but it’s time for Gulf countries to realise that they need to develop their own defence capabilities and enter into regional and strategic alliances with more countries to build a new security umbrella for the protection of the Middle East and North Africa.
The Peninsula
