JEDDAH, 6 September 2006 — The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) yesterday urged the international community to take quick and effective action to lift the Israeli military blockade on Lebanon.
The GCC foreign ministers meeting here also emphasized the need for increasing trade exchange among the member countries by removing administrative, technical, legal and procedural obstacles.
The ministers from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates also called upon the international community to find a quick solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict in order to establish peace and stability in the region.
Sheikh Abdullah ibn Zayed Al-Nahayan of the UAE, who presided over the meeting, said the Israeli military blockade violated the UN Security Council Resolution 1701 that calls for immediate halt to military operations.
“Despite that Israel is continuing some military operations against Lebanon, obstructing efforts to reach humanitarian assistance,” the UAE foreign minister told the meeting at Conference Palace here.
The GCC reiterated its call for a diplomatic solution to end the standoff between Iran and the West on its nuclear program, and urged Tehran to cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The meeting expressed concern over the fact that Iranian nuclear reactors in Bushehr could cause a human and environmental disaster because they are located in a sensitive area close to vital installations and residential districts. “The ministers also urged Israel to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and give IAEA inspectors access to its nuclear facilities,” the final communiqué issued by the meeting said. The Middle East, including the Gulf region, must be made free from weapons of mass destruction.
The meeting called for an integral global effort to combat terrorism by exchanging security information and expertise and extending cooperation to foil terrorist plots. “Terrorism is a danger facing the whole world. It has no nation or religion,” the ministers said.
The GCC meeting emphasized UAE’s claim on the three islands — Abu Moussa and the Lesser and Greater Tunbs — occupied by Iran and urged Tehran to respond favorably to Abu Dhabi’s efforts to settle the dispute peacefully through direct talks or take the case to the International Court of Justice.
Referring to the protracted Arab-Israeli conflict, Sheikh Abdullah said the UN Security Council should shoulder its responsibility toward achieving a just and comprehensive Middle East peace settlement by putting pressure on all parties to implement UN resolutions.
The GCC ministers denounced the continuing Israeli atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, including its killing of innocent people and destruction of Palestinian infrastructure. They urged Palestinians to stand united, setting aside their differences. The meeting called for the release of Palestinian ministers and legislators.
On Iraq, the GCC reiterated its support for the restoration of the war-torn country’s security and stability and territorial integrity.
