WE'LL LOOK AFTER OURSELVES

THIS MONTH, the Arab Gulf states got down to serious planning for the Council for Gulf Cooperation. On the face of it, this new grouping (which includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Oman) will devote itself to coordinating economic and social development in the Gulf. A start has already been made with the establishment of the Gulf Organisation for Industrial Consulting in 1977. Joint industrial ventures are being established, including an aluminium rolling mill (agreement signed in February), an oil refinery to be sited at Yanbu, a methanol plant in Bahrain and an iron and steel plant also in Bahrain.