A MODEL of Arab-Arab relations is
worth emulating. This model can be built
and worked on to cement it among Arab League nations. This model is the Morocco-Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC) relationship which is based on continuous cooperation in a bid to
interpret the unit of national security within a strategic perspective.
Based on this firm rule, it is
possible to look into all the events the Arab region has gone through and the
role of Morocco which led to suggestions to incorporate it into the GCC despite
its geographical distance that is overshadowed by its political and economic
coherence. This coherence is greater
than the distance and it is the bridge between the two sides.
In the Gulf, we view Morocco as
the Arab gate to Africa. This huge
continent promises vast investment projects, in addition to the stability it
enjoys and its ability to overcome the challenges it encountered during the
wave of the so-called 'Arab Spring'.
The
royal awareness of people's needs in Morocco has rendered it more attractive to
foreign investors because it forms a link between Arabs, Africans and
Europeans. It possesses enough
capabilities for intellectual and cultural conveyance – an investment prelude
desired by any country.
This fact has existed and
continues to exist from the minds of Gulf elites and leaders of the GCC. This is the basis of the context of the
letter of King Muhammad IV to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin
Abdulaziz about the terrorist attacks that Saudi Arabia encountered recently.
The Moroccan King affirmed
absolute solidarity of the Kingdom of Morocco with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
and that it constantly supports the course to counter all threats and assaults
on the latter irrespective of the forms or justifications.
At some point, terrorists
targeted Morocco; thus, it realizes very well the level of strength in
solidarity and condemnation of any criminal act, especially those targeting the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which has weight in the Arab and Muslim world in terms
of the economy and politics.
It is not a secret that Saudi
Arabia is considered the thermostat of stability in the Arab world. Its fortification against the terrorism
plague means fortification of Arab national security from East to West.
This position taken by Morocco is
not strange. It has always been present
in confronting any threats to GCC countries.
This sparked the vision of the late King Al-Hussein II on unity of
course and fate between these countries which are still stable during the reign
of King Muhammad IV.
This
excellent relationship has prompted adversaries to launch a shameful and
misleading campaign through claims about differences between the GCC countries
and Morocco. Certain events crushed such
claims and this solidarity letter is one of the crystal clear pieces of
evidence.
By Ahmed Al-Jarallah
Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times