Skip to main content

Qatar Offers 'GCC+1' to Include Iran

At a recent forum in Kuwait, high-ranking Qatari officials proposed the formation of a new organization comprising the GCC and Iran, writes Nassif Hitti.
Dignitaries pose for a group photo prior to the start of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit at Sakhir Palace in Sakhir south of Manama, Bahrain, December 24, 2012. (From L-R) Bahrain's Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, Emirates' Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maqtoom, Deputy Premier of Omani Cabinet Affairs Fahd Bin Humoud Al Saieed, Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah al Ahmed, King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa, Saudi Crown Prince Salman al Saud, Qatari Crown Prince S

On Feb. 11, Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani — who is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs — surprised a Kuwaiti academic forum by proposing to launch an organization comprising the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Iran. Although it was a way of testing the waters and measuring the different reactions in an unofficial event — just a thought-provoking exercise — the timing, in the current regional context, was unexpected for several reasons.

First, the sole aim of the forum, which included current and former officials from the Arab world, was to introduce an institutional framework involving both the GCC countries and Iran, a sort of "GCC6+1," and thus create an official platform for dialogue, consultation and possible negotiations.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.