The Gulf States must deter Oman from leaving the GCC | The National

The Gulf States must deter Oman from leaving the GCC | The National:

"What are Oman’s motives for publicly rejecting the Gulf union and threatening to withdraw from the Gulf Cooperation Council if such a union is formed? This was the question posed by Jame El Theyabi in the London-based newspaper Al Hayat.

The Omani stance against upgrading the six-member GCC to a political union is not new and was voiced by Muscat immediately after Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz called for increased military and political cooperation between the GCC States during the 2011 GCC summit.

Asked by the writer about why Oman was unwelcoming to the Gulf Union, Omani foreign minister Yusuf bin Alawi said on the sidelines of Gulf Summit in Bahrain last year that: “Several other fields require integration before rushing into the Union.”

Despite the writer’s attempts to bring up Iran’s interference and the Syrian tragedy, the Omani minister argued: “We must steer clear of regional and international conflicts. We in Oman see that achieving peace starts by not entering conflicts and militarising the region and people.”"

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