Jordanians excited at the prospect of joining bloc

Dubai: The positive response from the Gulf Cooperation Council to Amman's request to join the bloc has set off a wave of euphoria among Jordanians at all levels and raised hopes that solutions to pressing economic problems facing the country may not be too distant, Jordanian officials and analysts said.

The move, which officials admitted had come at an unexpected juncture, coincides with political unrest sweeping several Arab countries.

The GCC announcement, analysts said, seems to be sending the message that the bloc, along with Jordan and Morocco, are seeking to forge a grouping of "monarchies or semi-monarchies" as a stable alternative to republican political systems.

"GCC announcement was very encouraging," said Jordanian government spokesman Taher Udwan. Jordan had been "looking for such a move for a long time", he told Gulf News.

Analysts said there had been anticipation in Jordan about an announcement during the GCC Summit in December. "It is a big and encouraging move. It has created a sense of happiness on both official and public levels in Jordan," Udwan said.

Waleed Al Khatib, head of the public opinion polling unit at Jordan University's Centre for Strategic Studies, focused on another aspect: "It is a very positive decision," he said. "But the details are still unclear," he told Gulf News referring to the actual status the GCC would be willing to accord Jordan and Morocco, which has also requested to join the bloc. Already Yemen and Iraq enjoy limited membership in certain committees of the GCC.

Welcoming Jordan's request to join the bloc, GCC Secretary-General Abdul Latif Al Zayani said GCC foreign ministers would hold talks with their Jordanian and Moroccan counterparts "to complete required procedures".

"Many Jordanians believe the move [joining the GCC] is the sole and ideal solution at present to Jordan's economic problems," Al Khatib said.

Limited natural resources in Jordan have led to an investment in its population through education and training, analysts said.

Such abilities could benefit booming GCC economies, analysts feel.

"Political systems in the GCC countries are either monarchies or semi-monarchies," Al Khatib said. Acceptance of the Jordanian and Moroccan requests seemed to send the message that "Arab countries that have monarchical political systems are more stable than the republican countries, and this is clear on the ground," he said.