DOHA, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Abdul Rahman al-Attiya, secretary general of the six oil-rich Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations, announced the establishment of a common market at the closing session of the GCC summit here on Tuesday.

    Reading out the Doha Declaration, Al-Attiya said the long-anticipated common market will be brought into play as of Jan. 1, 2008.

    Launching the common market is for the interests of the Gulf people, who yearn for the Gulf citizenship and boosting competitiveness of the Gulf economy, he said.

    The common market is aimed at achieving fairness for the people in the six Gulf Arab states in business, investment, employment, education and medical care, according to al-Attiya.

    The establishment of the Gulf common market is a big step forward of the GCC, which has been striving for a European Union-style bloc.

    On the timetable of its economic integration, the bloc, which groups Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), launched a customs union in 2003 and aims to set up a common market by 2007 and to adopt a single currency in 2010.

    Founded in 1981, the Saudi capital Riyadh-based GCC is a regional political and economic alliance aimed at enhancing cooperation among its six member states.