11.   Such a decline has forced the UAE, a key OPEC producer, to slash general expenditure over the past decade to tackle a persistent budget deficit.

12.   The decline has forced other Gulf oil producers to introduce austerity measures and economic reforms to tackle the deficit.

13.   The decline has also forced Gulf states to carry out their own reforms, which involved rationalisation of expenditure.

14.   The decline has forced Gulf countries themselves to carry out reforms, involving privatisation and improvement of investment laws.