Kuwait and other Gulf Cooperation Council states are implementing stricter controls on workers recruited from Lebanon and Syria.

The action comes in the wake of intelligence from Lebanon and Syria that Lebanese security forces had seized 500 blank Lebanese passports during the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon last April. The Arab Times reported that GCC security officials are concerned terrorists might use such passports to carry out actions against GCC countries.

The GCC consists of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Yemen is currently negotiating to join the GCC.

Additional details of measures eyed were not disclosed.

In another immigration news, Kuwait`s Interior Ministry`s General Immigration Department is studying a proposal for compelling persons coming into Kuwait on visitor visas to undergo the same health examinations as those on work visas. All persons coming into the country on visit visas will be required to undergo the health checks once the department has made necessary preparations and has adequate staff to cope with proposed examinations. Kuwait currently has 1.7 million expatriates in its population of 2.3 million. (UPI)