Abu Dhabi Summit: A Guaranteed Success!

By Tariq Alhomayed
This commentary was published in Asharq on 7/12/2010
 
The Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC] summit which is taking place today in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi will be different than any previous summit for the people of the region and neighboring countries, and this is before we even look at what is on the summit's agenda or listen to it's closing speech.
 
As I said in my last article, we are living in a post-WikiLeaks world, and the people of the region and our neighboring countries are more reassured today than at any time before that the Gulf leaders are in agreement with regards to their opinions towards the Iranian threat, and particularly the threat represented by Iran's nuclear project.
 
Therefore regardless of the decisions that will be issued by the Gulf leaders - which will no doubt be issued in elegant diplomatic language as usual - what is new today is that observers, including includes everybody in the region, are now aware that their leaders hold similar views with regards to the threats facing Arab Gulf States, with the most dangerous of these threats represented by Iran's nuclear project.
 
The leaked US diplomatic cables revealed to us the Gulf view towards the threat represented by the Iranian nuclear project, in contras to the [official] diplomatic statements that refrained from saying much about the Iranian nuclear project and the threat that this represents. The people of the region are suspicios towards this nculear project, and increasingly concerned about their future, and the future of their children.
 
However today the situation is completely different, and this is the most important reason why this summit was guaranteed to be successful even before it began, for the people of the region know and agree with the viewpoint held by their leaders. The Iranians must also remember that the GCC - which has existed since its establishment [in 1981] despite all of the differences in opinion and viewpoint between its member states – is meeting today to complete yesterday's message, as well as to send a clear and important message informing Iran that we remember why these countries first decided to meet, and we are still together.
 
The GCC remains one of the most important Arab endeavors in the region, thanks to its unity and cohesion. GCC State leaders have expressed their appreciation of the value and importance of this organization, and these leaders are well aware that the GCC is an important umbrella for the region, and there is no need to overstate its decisions or falsify slogans [to prove this].
 
The meeting of the GCC State leaders today in Abu Dhabi sends a message to reassure the people of the region, and it is also a message to Iran and others that the GCC States will not accept any compromise on its security and interests. The leaked diplomatic cables revealed a convergence and clarity with regards to the viewpoint of GCC States towards the threat represented by the Iranian nuclear project on the region as a whole, and this is what guaranteed that this summit would be a success, even before it began.