Jordan, Morocco to join GCC

Press TV

The (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council ([P]GCC) has accepted membership requests from pro-Western monarchs in Jordan and Morocco amidst a wave of uprisings in the Arab world.

[P]GCC Secretary General Abdul-Latif Al-Zayani said Wednesday that the organization has already welcomed bids by the two Arab kingdoms to join the council, despite the fact that they are both non-Persian Gulf countries, the Associated Press reported.

Al-Zayani made the announcement following a [P]GCC summit in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.

The six-nation group, which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, also discussed relations with Iran, the tensions sweeping the Middle East and North Africa and the ongoing unrest in Yemen.

The [P]GCC has been seeking to strike a power transition deal in Yemen that would grant the embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh immunity from prosecution in return for his resignation.

Yemeni opposition groups, however, have rejected any agreement with the president, stressing that such plans are only aim at giving Saleh more time to wear out the opposition and remain in office.

Saleh, who has been in power for nearly 33 years, has also rejected the [P]GCC plan, reports say.

The president’s refusal has sparked fresh waves of protests across the country.

About these ads