RIYADH: A European official in Riyadh said yesterday that the door to negotiations for the establishment of a free trade zone between the European Union (EU) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) had not been closed. “The committees that participated in the European-Gulf Free Trade negotiations tried to obtain the approval of the European Parliament though they did not succeed. Under the circumstances, no agreement could be made without finding solutions for the disputed points, particularly the issues related to human rights,” said Antonia Calvo Pureta, an official of the European Union delegation to the Kingdom at a forum organized by the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry yesterday.
The differences of opinion between the two sides that led to the suspension of the two-decade long negotiations were mainly related to policies on human rights, terror and the protectionist taxes for local commodities.
“There are specific European norms and regulations that should be incorporated when making agreements with an outside party. However, we hope to overcome the obstacles. These terms are related to the common policies of the member countries of the European Union, which, hence, should get the approval of the European Parliament,” Pureta said.
The European official, however, said that the objections raised by the European side should not be misunderstood as a criticism of the GCC. “Though the EU understands very well the needs of the Gulf countries, the media made some mistakes in discussing the real issues, putting the blame squarely on the Gulf countries for their failure to accept the agreement,” the official said while emphasizing that the human rights issue would remain a sticking point if not solved.
Justifying the GCC stand, Muhammad Al-Ghofaily, assistant undersecretary at the Saudi Ministry of Finance, said that the Gulf countries had offered more concessions in order to reach a final agreement but the Europeans had not responded in the same spirit and this had led to a stalemate. GCC Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah said in December that the negotiations had been suspended because the European side, which mixed politics with the economy, did not respond to the GCC moves to rescue the agreement talks.