DUBAI — Gulf leaders will discuss Monday a proposal for a closer political union among them that could begin with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, the Bahraini information minister said Saturday.

“The idea of a Gulf union will be on the agenda of the summit in Riyadh”, said Samira Rajab.

“This union could start with two or three” members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, she said, adding that the proposal for a Gulf union put forward by King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, was “backed by Bahrain.”

The GCC also includes Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the UAE.

Rajab declined to elaborate on the nature of the proposed union, saying only that it could follow the “European Union model.”

“In Bahrain, we support setting up a Gulf union to protect us from the threats facing the region on the political, economic, security and military fronts,” she said. — AFP