Track and Field... and the Joy of Choice

Years ago, I traveled to Madrid, the capital of Spain, on a visit aimed at fostering acquaintance and mutual understanding with its officials regarding the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), its objectives, and its relationship with global groupings, including the European Union and the future of relations, particularly in economic aspects. I also explained the GCC’s strategy and its engagement with the European group. Accompanying me on this trip was a small number of GCC staff members from its commercial and technical departments.

We had meetings with the King of Spain and the then-current King, Juan Carlos, who ascended to the throne following the end of dictator Francisco Franco’s rule. The meeting with King Juan Carlos, attended by some of his aides, began with my intention to explain the Council’s objectives. However, the King showed little interest in what I was saying. Instead, he posed a question I had not anticipated, asking me to clarify the reasons behind my selection as Secretary-General of the GCC. This was an unexpected surprise. I briefly explained the circumstances, highlighting the priorities the Council sought to achieve. He did not pay attention to this introduction and directly asked me again how I was chosen as Secretary-General and the reasons for this selection. It was an unexpected beginning. I explained the details to him, and the meeting concluded after I had provided the full account.

Years later, I returned to Spain. After completing my tenure at the GCC, I went back to Kuwait. At that time, Spain was a member of the UN Security Council. This was before the end of the late 20th century. The late Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad, then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, requested that I travel to Madrid to meet with the Spanish Foreign Minister, carrying a message from Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad. He asked for Spain’s support for a draft resolution that Kuwait wanted the UN Security Council to approve. My meeting with the Spanish minister was positive regarding his country’s support for the Kuwaiti draft. However, he unexpectedly brought up a topic unrelated to my mission, concerning the King of Spain at that time. I was surprised by this subject, as I knew nothing about it, and I noticed the minister was angry.

I returned to Kuwait, conveying the complaint and its details to Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad, who had no connection to the subject of the complaint. I also informed him of the Spanish Foreign Minister’s coldness. Although the minister had listened to my request for Kuwait’s support in the UN Security Council and reaffirmed that support, he ended the meeting, asked me to leave his office, and closed the door, condemning what the Kuwaiti press was reporting about the King of Spain and his government. The visit was successful in its outcome but bleak in its tone. The Spanish minister was irate due to what the Kuwaiti press published about the King, was emotionally agitated, and behaved arrogantly. I did not wish to engage in a verbal confrontation with him; instead, I chose to ignore him and what he wanted, and then left Spain.

Circumstances changed. The situation within Spain shifted with the King’s abdication and the accession of his son as the new monarch. Consequently, the world changed for former King Juan Carlos, who now visits some Gulf countries, particularly the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

I then traveled to the Netherlands to explain the GCC’s policy, objectives, priorities, and expectations from the European Union. The Dutch Prime Minister, a young and energetic man with high ambitions, scheduled our meeting for 6:00 a.m. I objected, and the meeting was rescheduled for 8:00 a.m. He showed a strong desire to learn more details about the GCC, its objectives, and what the Council expected from the European Union group. From the Netherlands, I visited Sweden, Denmark, and Germany, carrying a message from the GCC to the European public, emphasizing the need to deepen ties across various channels to further openness and strengthen mutual interests between the two sides.

The commitment of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states’ leaders to deepen ties with all communities and peoples in the global community, while emphasizing the noble humanitarian objectives that the GCC seeks to achieve, enhancing the high-level concepts it pursues, and raising awareness of these among European public opinion, constituted the GCC’s message to the international family. It is imperative to explain this message and highlight its comprehensive focus on upholding human dignity and reinforcing humanity. From this universal humanitarian perspective, the efforts of GCC member states expanded to contribute to the development agenda, reaffirming their goal of achieving human well-being. This represents one of the primary objectives that the GCC states aim to advance through their relations with various countries around the world, particularly developing nations that seek assistance and support from donor and aid-providing countries. Indeed, the success of the giving and generosity approach adopted by the GCC has borne fruit, highlighting the Council’s prominent position in the hierarchy of global humanitarian generosity and philanthropy. Crucially, this giving must continue and expand, further elevating the Council’s standing, which has underscored the purity and generosity of its member states and enhanced their global reputation. Abdullah Basharahil