Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf

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Template:GCC The Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Gulf

(Arabic: مجلس التعاون لدول الخليج العربية), formerly named and still commonly called Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) (مجلس التعاون الخليجي) is a regional organization involving the six Persian Gulf Arab States with many economic and social objectives in mind. Created May 25, 1981, the Council is comprised of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

It should be noted that not all of countries neighboring the Persian Gulf are members of the council. Specifically, Iran (Persia) and Iraq are not members. The common and internationally recognized term "Persian Gulf" is not used in the name of the organization, as the governments of these Arab countries since 1960s refer to the Persian Gulf as the "Arabian Gulf" which is the ancient name of the present-day Red Sea (see Dispute over the name of the Persian Gulf).

Yemen is currently (as of 2006) in negotiations for GCC membership, and hopes to join by 2016. [1]

Among the stated objectives are:

Formulating similar regulations in various fields such as economy, finance, trade, customs, tourism, legislation, and administration
Fostering scientific and technical progress in industry, mining, agriculture, water and animal resources
Establishing scientific research centres
Setting up joint ventures
Encouraging cooperation of the private sector
Strengthening ties between their peoples
Establishing a common currency by 2010

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