The Gulf Cooperation Council has announced plans to fund a five-year development aid programme for Jordan and Morocco, both monarchies that are proposed as new members of the bloc.
The amount will be decided on in December, the GCC's secretary general, Abdullatif Al Zayani, of Qatar, said after a meeting of the council's foreign ministers in Jeddah on Sunday.
Following the fall of entrenched, US-backed regimes in Egypt and Tunisia this year, Gulf countries are seeking closer ties with counterparts in the region to help quell or prevent protests and encourage greater stability, analysts say.
"They're also looking for strength in numbers to rein in what they see as Shia Iran's regional ambitions," said Gerald Butt, editor of MENA Prospect, a new London-based weekly focusing on political risk. "It's a consolidation of monarchies that are solidly Sunni."
The GCC in May said it welcomed a request by Jordan to join its coalition, currently compriding the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and that it had sent a membership invitation to Morocco. The Jeddah gathering was the first to include ministers from the two countries since that surprise announcement.
Jordan and Morocco have seen some protests but have weathered the upheavals in the Arab world by offering constitutional reforms and plans to boost jobs.
The GCC agreed in Jeddah to establish committees to study the induction of the two non-Gulf states into the six-nation bloc,
"There is no timetable" for accession, Jordan's foreign minister, Nasser Judeh, said. "Discussions will continue."
The Hashemite kingdom has a healthy trading relationship with the coalition. But Morocco is geographically closer to France than Qatar, and was pleasantly surprised by what was widely seen a quirky decision by the GCC to invite the distant kingdom into its ranks.
Jordan and Morocco clearly stand to benefit economically from GCC membership but it is less clear what the Gulf alliance stands to gain. "In Jordan's case the attraction could be assistance to Gulf states by its well-trained military," Mr Butt said in a telephone interview.
Mr Al Zayani said the size of the aid package will be discussed by GCC heads of state at their next summit in December. It is likely to be large.
Within the bloc, richer Gulf countries have offered $10 billion (Dh36.7bn) each in development funds to Bahrain and Oman, where protesters took the streets this year demanding reforms.
Bahrain, where a Sunni Muslim royal family has long ruled over a Shiite majority, crushed weeks of street protests in March calling for greater political freedoms, a constitutional monarchy and an end to sectarian discrimination.
Saudi Arabia sent troops and the UAE sent police into the emirate to help suppress the protests, aggravating regional tensions with Iran, which Bahrain has accused of stoking the unrest. Bahraini Shiites deny being steered by Tehran, which insists it has no involvement in that country's internal problems.
A statement by GGC foreign ministers on Sunday accused Iran of issuing provocative pronouncements about the bloc's members.
Tehran vehemently rejected that accusation yesterday, and blamed media "run by the world arrogance" - the United States - for trying to undermine its "good neighbourly" relations with the GCC.
Also at the meeting, which was chaired by the Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs, the council affirmed its efforts to combat terrorism. It called on the international community to push for the establishment of a centre to exchange information and expertise on the subject and "coordinate among states to monitor and control the movement of organisations and terrorist elements and thwarts their plans", according to WAM.
mtheodoulou@thenational.ae
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
TYPES%20OF%20ONLINE%20GIG%20WORK
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Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
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MATCH INFO
Europa League semi-final, second leg
Atletico Madrid (1) v Arsenal (1)
Where: Wanda Metropolitano
When: Thursday, kick-off 10.45pm
Live: On BeIN Sports HD
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Zayed Sustainability Prize
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
