GCC Adopts Saudi King Call for Formation of Gulf Union

In response to the region's unprecedented upheaval, Gulf Cooperation Council chief Abdul Latif al-Zayani said Tuesday that the group's six members agreed to "adopt Saudi King Abdullah's initiative to make the GCC countries a single entity."

King Abdullah on Monday asked the GCC leadership to "move from a phase of cooperation to a phase of union," arguing the region's "security and stability are threatened" and that such challenges require "vigilance and a united stance."

He did not elaborate on what form such a union might take, or any proposed steps to create it.

The GCC -- comprised of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates -- was formed in 1981 as a security alliance to counter post-revolution Iran.