Oman calls for Gulf pact including Iran and Iraq

Oman’s foreign minister, Badr al-Busaidi, called for a regional security framework and a non-aggression pact among the six Gulf Cooperation Council states, Iraq and Iran, saying regional stability depends on including all eight Gulf littoral states. Al-Busaidi made the proposal during a lecture at the University of Cambridge on Monday. He urged Gulf countries to take greater responsibility for their security and said a framework excluding Iran would be unstable. The proposal does not establish that the eight states have agreed to negotiate or adopt a pact. The minister pointed to a 1976 meeting in Muscat, where foreign ministers of the eight states discussed collective security arrangements. He said reviving the ambition of that initiative could provide a basis for renewed regional dialogue. Oman’s proposed pact would commit the states to non-aggression, while broader cooperation could build trust and help address disputes, according to his remarks. Al-Busaidi also argued that regional security has relied excessively on external powers. He called for a shift in external partnerships toward economic investment and development, while regional governments take the lead in...