Taroudant, Morocco- More than a year after the Gulf Cooperation Council invited Morocco and Jordan to join a regional grouping before withdrawing their offer, the Gulf countries are now calling for Morocco to join them in a military alliance.
According to Al Massae, the new military alliance will eventually include the 6 countries of the GCC, as well as Morocco, Jordan and Egypt.
The GCC, which includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, has already sent a formal request to the three countries to join the proposed military alliance.
According to the same source, the GCC countries are considering ways to strengthen their regional grouping in light of the instability in the Middle East.
Through the military alliance, the GCC seeks to secure the assistance of a total of 300,000 troops from Morocco, Egypt and Jordan. In exchange, the three countries will be provided with financial aid.
But as things stand in Egypt, whose military leadership is not recognized by Qatar, it is unclear how successful this military alliance will be. Qatar considers the toppling of former President Mohammed Morsi a military coup. What may make things even harder is the strained relations between some Gulf countries themselves, who have different views regarding the situation in Egypt.
While Qatar still does not support the new Egyptian government, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain are supportive of military control over Egypt’s politics and their iron-fisted approach to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Last month, in an unprecedented move, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain decided to withdraw their ambassadors from Qatar because of Doha’s alleged support for the Muslim Brotherhood and Al Jazeera’s coverage of Egypt since former President Mohammed Morsi was overthrown in July 2013.
Edited by Jessica Rohan
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