Adopting a more practical approach

Few months ago the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) came up with the surprising plan that it would consider a membership request from Morocco and Jordan, should the two countries wish to apply. This idea took the GCC people by surprise, and was also news to the two countries, which had not been part of any discussions along this line.

This week, GCC foreign ministers took a more practical line when they did not reiterate this call for full GCC membership, but instead discussed setting up a five-year aid programme, which will be defined at the annual GCC summit in December.

The GCC plays an important role in providing direction to the Arab world in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. Substantial funds have already been earmarked to support the new governments in Egypt and Libya, and the new plans for Jordan and Morocco would do well to fit into this framework of inter-Arab cooperation.