GCC Members Hope to Boost Military CooperationMilitary chiefs of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states met in the Saudi capital of Riyadh Tuesday to discuss ways to boost military cooperation, the Kuwait News Agency reported.During the two-day meeting, chiefs of staff of the Gulf Arab states will discuss how to further enhance military cooperation among armed forces in the GCC member states, said Saudi chief of staff Saleh Al-Muhia. The gathering will also follow up the implementation of a GCC security and communication network and discuss matters concerning the expansion of their joint forces, he added. Leaders of the GCC states -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- signed a joint defense pact last December on boosting a Saudi-based GCC rapid deployment force, and establishing an early warning system as well as a sophisticated communication network. Under the agreement, the GCC joint defense forces, called "the Peninsula Shield" force, were created in 1986 and will be enlarged from 5,000 to 22,000 in a bid to deter potential attacks. |
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