Gulf nations sign defense accord after lengthy delay

NICOSIA — Gulf Arab nations have launched the most extensive form of defense cooperation against outside military threats.

Leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council signed a defense accord that guarantees military intervention in case one of them is attacked or threatened. The signing came after more than a year of delays because of disputes between the six-member council.

"This commits the Gulf Cooperation Council member states to defend any member state victim of an external threat or danger," the Gulf News Agency said.

The two main threats to the GCC are said to come from Iran and Iraq. Iraq is said to be the greater of the two threats. The GCC condemned what the Arab leaders termed the occupation of three Gulf islands by Teheran and claimed by the United Arab Emirates.

On Monday, Iran launched a four-day naval exercise called Ghadir. The exercise is said to be near the Pakistani border.

Still, Arab diplomatic sources said that the GCC communique constitutes a message to Iraq that Gulf nations are interested in a reconciliation with Baghdad.

The GCC accord came at the end of a summit in Manama over the weekend. The council is composed of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

GCC officials said this was the biggest step toward the council's efforts to establish a regional defense regime. The six-member group has established a 5,000-man force and wants to increase this to 22,000 troops.

The GCC has already approved a $70 million telecommunications project to link the military headquarters of all six countries and is considering an $88 million regional radar network project.

The telecommunications project has not been implemented.