JEDDAH, 29 September 2007 — Saudi Arabia and other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have strongly condemned a US Senate non-binding resolution to divide Iraq on ethnic and religious lines, saying the move would complicate matters further in the war-torn country.

The Bosnia-style plan, which was touted as a way out of the sectarian strife, which has risen steadily since the 2003 US-led invasion, “would add new complications to the already difficult situation in Iraq,” GCC Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah said in a statement.

“Instead of calling for division, the causes that led to the current situation should be addressed. These include the (US-led) occupation, the sectarian and ethnic quota system, absence of law and security and the paralyzed administration,” the GCC chief said.

Apart from Saudi Arabia, the GCC groups Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Attiyah warned that the non-binding proposal to divide Iraq, which was passed by the US Senate on Wednesday, would also have a “dangerous consequences” on regional and international stability.

Saudi Arabia, which is an ardent advocate of Iraq’s unity, independence and territorial integrity, has reiterated its rejection of the move to divide the country.

In a press conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal cautioned the international community against dividing Iraq on sectarian and ethnic lines.

Prince Saud emphasized the Kingdom’s support for Iraq’s national unity, security and stability as well as territorial integrity. He said Saudi Arabia would soon send its ambassador to Iraq after taking steps to ensure the security of its embassy and diplomats.

The division plan, which is opposed by President George W. Bush’s administration, would provide for decentralizing Iraq in a federal system as permitted by Iraq’s constitution to stop the country from becoming a failed state.

It proposes to separate Iraq into Kurdish, Shiite and Sunni entities, with a federal government in Baghdad in charge of border security and oil revenues.

Yemen also rejected the US Senate plan calling it an “unprecedented flagrant interference” in the internal affairs of states, according to a Foreign Ministry statement carried by Saba news agency.

Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi has opposed the US plan and said it was up to the Iraqis to decide the future of their country. “Iraq has been united for thousands of years and it has the ability to preserve its unity and integrity,” he said.

— With input from agencies