News Archive – June 2016

UNASUR:
As Europe Breaks Apart, South America Moves to Regional Citizenship
‘First steps…making South America one great country’
teleSUR, June 29, 2016 – The Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) began to move forward on a central project to provide a South American citizenship – meaning that hundreds of millions living in the region could move and work freely anywhere in the region.
“Today, UNASUR’s South American citizenship project gives its first steps, that will link 400 million South Americans, making South America a great country,” said Ernesto Samper, the bloc’s secretary general on Twitter Tuesday.
South American citizenship project advances in the Unasur
Would include South American passport and free movement of persons
Sputnik (Russia), June 29, 2016 – The project of a common citizenship for nationals of countries of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) is taking its first steps, he said Tuesday on his Twitter account the secretary general of the organization, Ernesto Samper…. The initiative would include a South American passport and the abolition of any barrier to the free movement of persons similarly to how it works in, which allows circulate with the identity of each country Southern Common Market (Mercosur) and facilitates a permit of work for two years.

NORTH AMERICA:
President Obama says ‘Adios!’ in last ‘Three Amigos’ summit
Post-Brexit summit to recognize ‘value of a more integrated North America’
USA Today, June 29, 2016 – President Obama will travel to Canada on Wednesday for his last North American Leaders’ Summit, also known as the “Three Amigos” summit, where he will meet with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The summit “is further recognition of the value of a more integrated North America to advance the security and prosperity of the continent,” said White House press secretary Josh Earnest.
As the E.U. falls apart, North American leaders seek unity in Ottawa Wednesday
North American energy agreement to require cross-border transmission projects
Washington Post, June 29, 2016 – Administration officials are working hard to persuade Americans that closer coordination on energy and other joint policy goals can produce economic benefits…. Reaching the new goal will require trans-border cooperation and projects including aligning 10 appliance efficiency standards and test procedures over the next three years as well as installing 5,000 megawatts of cross-border transmission projects, Furman and Deese write.
And while Brits chafed at the idea that they had to abide by regulations set in Brussels by the European Commission, Breier noted that it’s easier for North American officials to pursue some common objectives when their relationship “is based on sovereignty. It’s a different construct.”
No, it is not. It is the same incrementalism that the sovereign nations of Europe entered into that now bring them directives from Brussels.

ASEAN:
Brexit has profound lessons for Asean integration
‘Cautious approach’ on ‘free movement of people’
The Straits Times (Singaport), June 29, 2016 – Asean has been criticised repeatedly for its slow pace of integration. It is on occasions like Brexit that one sees the rationale for the cautious approach adopted by Asean countries. In Asean’s economic cooperation, it does talk about movement of people, but it is restricted only to skilled labour and the 10 countries have committed to mutual recognition arrangement of eight professions. But these commitments are subject to domestic regulations, implying there is no “free” movement of people across borders. This limited regional effort is more of a facilitation exercise to draw foreign investment to the region.
As against this, in the EU’s offer of “freedom of movement” principle, citizens of 28 countries can move, stay, study and work in any of the member states without visas and are not subject to any domestic regulations.

EUROPEAN UNION:
Brexit prompts a push to end English in the European Union
Washington Post, June 28, 2016 – European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker had a message for Britain on Tuesday. He delivered it in French. With the impending British exit from the European Union, the polyglot Babel that has 24 official languages may soon strike English off the list, according to officials here, who note the change with a mixture of sadness and glee.
The irony here is that all of the acronyms for the world’s major trade/political blocs are commonly referred to with English acronyms, with the exception of the Spanish UNASUR (South America). Others with English acronyms include ASEAN (Assn of SE Asia Nations) and SAARC (South Asian Assn of Regional Cooperation). Much of this reflects the influence of the British Commonwealth and the British Round Table groups upon most of the world’s regions as a major factor in the spread of globalization.
After Brexit, EU Bosses Unveil Plot for ‘Giant Superstate’
The New American, June 28, 2016 – Talk about being tone deaf. After the historic British vote to ditch the globalist European Union super-state, the increasingly embattled EU appears to be doubling down on its anti-sovereignty extremism with the political equivalent of “let them eat tyranny.” Among other schemes, leading EU member governments are threatening fellow members with an “ultimatum” amid a push to abolish the remaining vestiges of nationhood. One reporter described the extreme plot, unveiled this week, as a plan to “morph” EU nations into a “Giant Superstate.”
According to Polish authorities and media reports, the Socialist French government and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have presented a scheme to Eastern European nations demanding a full-blown “political union.” Under the scheme, control over everything from immigration, taxation, and economic policy to military, intelligence, and law enforcement would be centralized in the unelected bureaucracies of Brussels that essentially rule Europe today by decree.
Has Britain avoided a ‘European superstate’?
France and Germany ‘draw up plans to morph EU countries into one with control over members’ armies and economies’
Daily Mail (London, UK), June 27, 2016 – Germany’s foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault today presented a proposal for closer EU integration based on three key areas – internal and external security, the migrant crisis, and economic cooperation. But the plans have been described as an ‘ultimatum’ in Poland, with claims it would mean countries transfer their armies, economic systems and border controls to the EU.
Brexit Isn’t About Leaving Today’s European Union: It’s About Not Joining Tomorrow’s – Forbes, June 28, 2016 – As ever with the EU those phrases don’t mean quite what they do in the colloquial parlance. Economic cooperation does not, for example, mean that governments and the ECB try to pull in the same direction occasionally. No, it means that German taxpayers get to pay Greek pensions. Internal security does not mean that the various police forces of the various countries work together to keep and eye on potential bad ‘uns, it means that criminal law must be the same in each country. No, that last is not an exaggeration, that it actually the proposal.
Scotland’s Parliament may attempt to stop Britain from leaving the European Union
New York Daily News, June 26, 2016 – Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who has made clear her desire for her country to remain in the EU, said she would likely advise the Scottish Parliament not to give “legislative consent” to the UK’s exit from the international bloc. Withholding Scotland’s consent might block the UK’s plans to move forward with the exit, Sturgeon told the BBC.
British pound hits new low, U.K. bond yields lowest ever due to vote uncertainty – Global News (Canada) | Associated Press, June 27, 2016 – European stocks and the pound fell further on Monday as concern grew over the potential economic costs of Britain’s vote to bring its country, the world’s fifth-largest economy, out of the European Union.
Brexit Redux? Petition for Second EU Vote Hits 3 Million Signatures – NBC News, June 26, 2016 – An online petition calling for a second referendum on Britain’s exit from the European Union surpassed 3 million signatures Sunday, highlighting the tumult sweeping the country in the wake of the shock decision…. Any petition with more 100,000 signatures automatically gets a hearing in Parliament.
Trump arrives in Scotland, hails British exit from EU
All over the world, people are angry. They’re angry over borders’
ABC News | Associated Press, June 24, 2016 – Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, visiting Scotland the day after the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, hailed the move, saying voters “took back their country.”
Trump, whose own campaign shares some of the same populist national themes that fueled the vote to leave the EU, said Friday that “all over the world, people are angry.”
“They’re angry over borders, they’re angry over people coming into the country and taking over, nobody even knows who they are,” said Trump at the ceremony to mark the reopening of a golf resort he owns on Scotland’s west coast.
Scotland Seeks Independence Again After U.K. ‘Brexit’ Vote
Saying it faced being taken out of the European Union against its will
NBC News, June 24, 2016 – Scotland’s government began moves Friday to hold a new referendum on independence from the U.K. after the “Brexit” vote, saying it faced being taken out of the European Union against its will…. Scots voted by 62 percent to 38 percent to remain in the EU, according to Friday’s results, in contrast to the overall U.K.-wide result of 52 percent to 48 percent in favor of quitting the bloc.

ASEAN, SAARC:
Brexit poll: a sobering lesson for Asia
Now, the EU doesn’t look so much like a winner anymore
The Straits Times (Singapore), June 24, 2016 – The EU used to be held up as a model as we in Asia watched it expand from six nations to 10, then 12 and eventually 28 member states. With the exception of Greenland, which opted out as a Danish colony three decades ago but remains subject to EU treaties, no one had ever thought of quitting the union.
South-east Asian integration, which started in 1967, began with five nations grouped as Asean. This became six when Brunei joined in 1984 and has now grown to 10 members. South Asia, meanwhile, tried its own version, Saarc, albeit with less success. Now, the EU doesn’t look so much like a winner anymore. We’ve been made aware that there is no sure bet about the integration process being one-way.

GCC:
If Britain leaves the EU, how will it affect the Middle East?
GCC, other alliances may fill power gap
Al-Bawaba, June 23, 2016 – The EU has a great deal of clout in the Middle East – and a pretty heavy interventionist stance in many areas. If it breaks up, or scales down dramatically, it will mark the end of that regional clout. That will mean less foreign influence from Brussels. And it may mean that other alliances in the Middle East – such as the Gulf Cooperation Council – jump in to fill the power gap.

NORTH AMERICA:
GOP Senators Applaud Supreme Court’s Rejection of Obama’s Executive Amnesty
CNSNews, June 23, 2016 – Senate Republicans who signed on to an amicus brief in support of a lawsuit brought by Texas and 25 other states challenging President Obama’s executive amnesty program applauded Thursday’s Supreme Court affirmation of an appellate court ruling blocking its implementation.
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX) said the high court’s ruling was an affirmation of the rule of law.
“By going around Congress to grant legal status to millions of people here illegally, the President abused the power of his office and ignored the will of the American people,” said Cornyn.
“The President can’t circumvent the legislative process simply because he doesn’t get what he wants, and I’m glad the Rule of Law was affirmed.”

EUROPEAN UNION:
If we leave the European Union, can we rejoin at a later date?
The Chronicle (Newcastle, UK), June 23, 2016
If Britain votes to leave the EU, how long will it take to sever the ties?
It certainly won’t happen overnight. In fact, it would take at least two years. During that time, Britain would continue to abide by EU treaties and laws, but not take part in any decision-making….
Is it true that we would have to adopt the Euro and give up the Pound if we wanted to sign up again?
That may indeed be the case. New members are required to adopt the Euro as their currency. If Britain was to re-apply, we would have to commit ourselves to the principle of joining the single currency. We would probably have to sign up to the Schengen Agreement as well, which scrapped border controls within the EU and allows passport-free movement….

EUROPEAN UNION:
Is The European Union Stealing Our Sovereignty?
By Sam Kiley, Sky News (London, UK), June 21, 2016 – To quote the parliament.uk website “Parliamentary sovereignty is the most important part of the UK constitution”. So there! Well, not quite….
“Joining pretty much any international organisation involves losing some aspect of sovereignty”, said Robin Nibelett, an expert in international law and the director of Chatham House. He added: “The USA is a member of the World Trade Organisation and is therefore subject to its rulings on trade disputes. So even the US, this great sovereign nation has worked out that on trade it is worth sacrificing a bit of its sovereignty.”
In fact, signing any international treaty involves a loss of sovereignty. British legislation is subordinate or subjected to the requirements of the World Health Organisation; the International Monetary Fund; the WTO; the United Nations; the International Criminal Court, and the European Court of Human Rights.
Well, not quite, Mr. Kiley and Mr. Nibelett. International treaties, including those forming the organizations you mentioned, are not forever written in stone, permanently surrendering whatever national sovereignty has been sacrificed to them. Your smug globalist comments neglect the principle that is written into the Federalist Papers, the definitive commentary on the U.S. Constitution written by three of its founding fathers.
In Federalist 64, John Jay, who would become the first Chief Justice of the United States, commented on fraudulent international treaties, i.e., those that would be unconstitutional by corruptly violating the law of nations and the sovereignty of the U.S. Constitution itself. He wrote:
“As to corruption, the case is not supposable. He must either have been very unfortunate in his intercourse with the world, or possess a heart very susceptible of such impressions, who can think it probable that the President and two thirds of the Senate will ever be capable of such unworthy conduct. The idea is too gross and too invidious to be entertained. But in such a case, if it should ever happen, the treaty so obtained from us would, like all other fraudulent contracts, be null and void by the law of nations.”

AFRICAN UNION:
As EU fights over migrants, African Union takes steps to free movement of people
African Union aims for visa-free travel for all African citizens within the continent by 2020
CNBC, June 22, 2016 – The free movement of people is a key principle of the European Union, but it is being tested to the limit by the migrant crisis and the U.K’s referendum on its future in the 28-country bloc. Meanwhile Africa is taking steps to establish the freedom of movement on its own continent. The African Union (which consists of 54 African countries and was launched in 2002) announced this month that it planned to launch an electronic passport scheme in July…. Initially, only heads of state, government ministers and representatives of African Union will receive the passport. However, the intention is that each member state will be motivated to implement the laws and procedures required for visa-free travel and later issue an African passport to citizens.
See Illegal Immigration, ‘Free Trade’ and the ‘Free Flow of People’

African Union plans to introduce single passport to create EU-style ‘continent without borders’
Idea modeled on EU’s Schengen area allowing free movement of people
The Independent (London, UK), June 20, 2016 – The African Union (AU), which represents 54 states, wants to abolish the need for Africans visiting African counties to require a visa by 2018. It also wants to establish a free trade deal across the continent by 2017, as intra-African trade costs more than any other region.
AU, editors meet to formulate ways of telling the ‘African story’ – News24 Nigeria, June 20, 2016 – Editors from various media houses across the continent have committed to play their part in the development of Africa, through objective reporting and analysis of the African Union’s work through Agenda 2063…. To support the discussions, the African Union Commission (AUC) delegation distributed copies of the AU handbook and the first 10-year implementation plan of Agenda 2063 as key resources.
Excerpts from the African Union’s ‘Agenda 2063′:
The political unity of Africa will be the culmination of the integration process, including the free movement of people, the establishment of continental institutions, and full economic integration. By 2030, there shall be consensus on the form of the continental government and institutions….
By 2063, Africa will have the capacity to secure peace and protect its citizens and interests, through a common defense, foreign and security policy….
We hereby adopt Agenda 2063, as a collective vision and roadmap for the next fifty years and therefore commit to speed-up actions in the following areas:
…. Fast-track the establishment of a Continental Free Trade Area by 2017, a programme to double intra-Africa trade by 2022, strengthen Africa’s common
voice and policy space in global trade negotiations and establish the financial institutions within agreed upon timeframes: African Investment Bank and Pan African Stock Exchange (2016), the African Monetary Fund (2018), and the African Central Bank (2028/34)
…. Introduce an African Passport, issued by Member states, capitalising on the global migration towards e-passports, and with the abolishment of visa requirements for all African citizens in all African countries by 2018.

EURASIAN UNION:
Putin Seeks To Include China, India, Iran In Fledgling Eurasian Union
Forbes, June 20, 2016 – To date, Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan are the only members. Putin’s offer is not for full integration of China and others into the EEU. He called it a Eurasian Partnership agreement, which on the surface looks a bit like the U.S. Trans-Pacific Partnership deal with the Pacific Rim countries ex-China.

EURASIAN UNION, EUROPEAN UNION:
EAEU, EU entering new level in Eurasian integration dialogue — Russian diplomat
Eurasian integration ‘will further take into account the European Union’s experiences’
TASS (Russia), June 18, 2016 – The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the European Union are entering a new level of talks on Eurasian integration, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov said on Friday.
“The conditions [set by the European Union – TASS] are as follows: before raising this issue it is necessary to ensure that all member countries of the Eurasian Union join the World Trade Organization (WTO),” he told TASS. “Obviously they mean Belarus whose talks with the World Trade Organization they have been impeding. Now we are entering a new level in these talks.”
…. “We will look at where we can cooperate,” he said. “Naturally, we have been taking into account and will further take into account the European Union’s experiences, both negative and positive, in the process of Eurasian integration.”
Juncker defends EU sanctions at Russia forum
EUobserver, June 16, 2016 – European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker has said EU-Russia relations can only improve if Ukraine is allowed to decide its own future, adding that the EU is “not in danger of death” if the UK leaves…. Juncker was joined in the St Petersburg panel by UN chief Ban Ki-moon, Ghanian president Alpha Conde and by Tigran Sargsyan, the former PM of Armenia, who now chairs the Eurasian Union’s economic commission….
Sargsyan said people who see the Eurasian Union as an attempt to revive the Soviet empire are “not informed” and that people who “ignore our existence” are making a mistake because the project is moving forward.

NORTH AMERICA:
House rejects effort to bar undocumented migrants from joining military, by 1 vote
Republicans save Obama’s ‘backdoor amnesty program’
Fox News Latino, June 16, 2016 – The Republican-led House on Thursday narrowly defeated an attempt to bar young immigrants living in the country illegally to enlist in the armed forces, as opponents tied the measure to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Lawmakers voted 211-210 to reject an amendment by Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., to the annual defense spending bill. He said he wanted to close what he called a “backdoor amnesty program” created by President Barack Obama without approval from Congress.

AFRICAN UNION:
African Union to launch e-passport in July

Aim of facilitating free movement of persons, goods and services around the continent
The Africa Report, June 15, 2016 – AU Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said the initiative was a “steady step toward the objective of creating a strong, prosperous and integrated Africa, driven by its own citizens and capable of taking its rightful place on the world stage.” The initiative, first agreed upon in 2014, falls squarely within the framework of Africa’s Agenda 2063, and has the specific aim of facilitating free movement of persons, goods and services around the continent.

EUROPEAN UNION:
An EU army is not just a stupid idea – it’s a grave threat to our own security
‘A common army among the Europeans would convey to Russia that we are serious about defending the values of the European Union.’ – EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker
The Telegraph (London, UK), June 14, 2016 – According to plans drawn up by Federica Mogherini, the EU’s chief of foreign affairs and security policy, the EU wants to set up its own joint headquarters, which will oversee the shared military assets provided by member states. This would be the first step towards fulfilling Commission president Jean‑Claude Juncker’s long‑held vision for the EU to have its own army, which he believes would enable the union to be taken more seriously as an international force.

GCC & ISRAEL:

Israeli-Saudi relations cemented by Red Sea deal
Middle East Monitor, June 13, 2016 – Israel’s approval of the deal not only demonstrated the Israel-Saudi cooperation which is active behind the scenes, but also the prospects of the progression of relations between the two sides….
An article published by The Intercept said: “In 2009, a US State Department diplomatic cable gave one of the first glimpses of a burgeoning alliance between Israel and the Arab states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The cable quoted Israeli Foreign Ministry official Yacov Hadas saying, ‘the Gulf Arabs believe in Israel’s role because of their perception of Israel’s close relationship with the United States,’ adding that GCC states ‘believe Israel can work magic’.” According to another cable, Hadas reportedly added that the Gulf Arabs were still “not ready to do publicly what they say in private.”
….In an event at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, high-ranking former Saudi and Israeli officials not only shared the stage but revealed that the two countries had been holding a series of high-level meetings to discuss shared strategic goals, particularly around the perceived regional ascendance of Iran.

EUROPEAN UNION:
Minister says we CAN’T stop EU army as Brussels regularly overrules UK on foreign policy
The Express (London, UK), June 12, 2016 – Britain will be completely powerless to stop the creation of an EU army because Brussels regularly overrules our elected Government on international affairs, a Foreign Office minister has warned today. James Duddridge told Express.co.uk it is “not realistic” for David Cameron to claim the UK will play no part in an EU military force, adding that Brussels frequently goes against Britain’s interests on matters of foreign policy….. The Brexit-backing Foreign Office minister, who is part of the Vote Leave campaign, made his intervention amid warnings the EU is planning to significantly dilute Britain’s global influence immediately after the referendum.

AFRICAN UNION – SADC:
EU, six SADC countries sign Africa’s first EPA following more than a decade of ‘tough’ talks
First EPA signed between EU and an African region
Engneering News (South Africa), June 10, 2016 – Following more than ten years of “tough” negotiation, the European Union (EU) and six Southern African countries, including South Africa, signed an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) in Botswana on Friday, June 10. The deal seeks to build on an existing €60-billion-a-year trade relationship, with the six Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries exporting around €30-billion yearly to the 28 countries of the EU, mostly in the form of metals and minerals…. The EU-SADC EPA is the first EPA signed between the EU and an African region, with an East African agreement expected to follow in a few months, but with the West African agreement having met fresh resistance.

EURASIAN UNION:
Putin: Russia, Belarus Working on Deeper Eurasian Integration
‘Forming the Eurasian Economic Union’s common market’
Sputnik, June 9, 2016 – The EEU is an economic integration bloc on the post-Soviet space succeeding the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan in January 2015. Later in 2015, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan joined the EEU….
“We are forming the Eurasian Economic Union’s common market for goods, services, capital, and labour, thereby facilitating sustainable economic growth of the member countries and enhancing the competitiveness of our producers on domestic and foreign markets,” Putin said.
Eurasian Economic Union on the move – RT (Russia), June 8, 2016 – This year the EAEU countries will form a common market in the socially important area of drugs and healthcare products. They expect to build a common electricity market by 2019, which will provide the member-states with a $7bn GDP increase. A common hydrocarbons market is to be put in place by 2025, the cumulative effect of which may exceed $1bn for gas and $8bn for the oil industry. We are looking to harmonize legislation regulating construction and design, scientific research and tourism.

AFRICAN UNION – ECOWAS:
ECOWAS court fines Nigeria $3.3m over extra-judicial killings
The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, court has imposed a fine of $3.3 million on Nigeria over the extra-judicial killing of eight citizens in the Apo District of Abuja, Federal Capital Territory…. A Non-Governmental Organization, NGO, The Incorporated Trustees of Fiscal and Civil Right Enlightment Foundation, had on behalf of the deceased, dragged Nigeria, the Army and Department of State Service, before regional court to challenge the legality of the killing of the eight commercial motorcyclists and the injuring of others when the securitymen invaded their apartment.

EUROPEAN UNION:
Why will no one talk about where the European Union is headed?
The New Statesman (London, UK), June 8, 2016 – The European Union is not static and what we vote for now is not what we will have to live with in one or two years’ time, let alone the decades to come. The EU is a political structure and exists to create a single state, its tactics outlined by founding father Jean Monnet: “Europe’s nations should be guided towards the superstate without their people understanding what is happening. This can be accomplished by successive steps, each disguised as having an economic purpose, but which will eventually and irreversibly lead to federation.”

NORTH AMERICA:
Report: Judge Curiel Belongs to Group that Called for Boycott of Trump’s Businesses
Breitbart, June 7, 2016 – Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is overseeing a fraud case against Trump University, is reportedly a member of the San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association, which is affiliated with the Hispanic National Bar Association. The Hispanic National Bar Association sent out a press release last summer after Donald Trump, who is now the presumptive Republican nominee, announced he was running for president and created a controversy by discussing illegal immigration and crime during his announcement speech. The press release stated the organization’s mission to target Trump’s “business interests,” according to the Conservative Treehouse.
Donald Trump Is Correct To Hit ‘La Raza’ Judge For Latino Identity Politics
Translated, ‘la raza’ means ‘the race’
Breitbart, June 7, 2016 – After critics bemoaned such an accusation as racism, Trump doubled down on “Face the Nation.”
“[Judge Curiel] is a member of a club or society, very strongly pro-Mexican, which is all fine,” Trump told CBS’s John Dickerson. “But I say he’s got bias.” The club Trump was referring to was La Raza Lawyers; an organization with the stated mission “to promote the interests of the Latino communities throughout the state.”
Translated, “la raza” means “the race.” Imagine the outcry if white attorneys from Mississippi, such as this author, started a a legal association called “The Race” with the stated mission to promote the interest of white, Southern communities. Hollywood stars and entertainers, such as Bryan Adams, would boycott the state in perpetuity.

GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL:
GCC Economic and Development Affairs Authority Revives Common Market
Asharq Al-Awsat, June 6, 2016 – Gulf common market and customs union will top the agendas of the GCC Economic and DevelopmentAffairs Authority, aiming at enhancing cooperation among GCC countries in all economic and developmental fields and accelerating the pace of joint action to achieve the goals set forth in the statute of the Cooperation Council.
Joint body seen as a tool to activate Gulf economic unity
Arab Times (Kuwait), June 6, 2016 – Head of the Federation of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Chambers of Commerce and Industry Ali Al-Ghanim welcomed the resolution of the Gulf summit held recently in Riyadh aiming to establish a Gulf body for development and economic affairs. Al-Ghanim, also chairman of Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), said it was a move seeking to accelerate the economic unity of GCC member states…. It will work on fulfilling projects of integration, especially the GCC customs union, the common market and others aiming to promote the joint Gulf action.
New Gulf body to tighten economic bonds in region
‘Completing the customs union and the common market of the GCC states’
Kuwait Times, June 1, 2016 – Gulf Arab states grappling with lower oil revenues yesterday formed a new agency to tighten economic cooperation in the region…. The newly formed body “will look into matters such as completing the customs union and the common market of the GCC states,” Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told a news conference after the summit….

ASEAN:
Let’s transform at a fast pace, Najib tells Asean

Take Active Steps for SE Asia to emerge as a single and cohesive economic entity
The Star (Malaysia), June 1, 2016 – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak called on Asean to embrace transformation by taking active steps to integrate, innovate and advance as they were crucial ingredients for Southeast Asia to emerge as a single and cohesive economic entity…. “We need to find more efficient ways of ensuring we recognise each others documentations, whether it is for pharmaceutical products, professional certificates or port entry requirements,” he stressed.
Najib said the Asean Economic Community would never reach its true fruition if the region does not work to eradicate barriers.

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