JEDDAH: The GCC Council, which concluded its 112th foreign ministers’ meeting here on Tuesday evening, has called for the continuation of friendly and neighborly relations with Iran.
Omani Foreign Minister Yousuf Abdullah ibn Alawi chaired the meeting, which was also attended by GCC Secretary-General Abdul Rahman ibn Hamad Al-Attiyah. Established in the early 1980s, the council includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain.
“All countries of the region should be committed to the principles of good neighborliness and the policy of noninterference in the internal affairs of each other,” the council said in a communiqué at the end of the meeting.
The council also praised the positive results of Chairman of the GCC Summit Sultan Qaboos of Oman’s recent visit to Tehran, adding that it would further enhance security and stability in the region.
“Rifts should be resolved by peaceful means in a manner that would cement the bridges of trust between Iran and the GCC countries,” the communiqué said.
Referring to Iran’s nuclear program, the council affirmed the right of all countries to obtain nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and called for a peaceful solution to the rift between Iran and the West on this issue. “Both sides should be committed to international law and should continue consultations until the matter is settled,” it added.
The council also expressed support to the call made by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah during the recent Arab Economic Summit in Kuwait for Arab reconciliation and solidarity to face dangers collectively. It also praised Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad’s visit to the US and his talks with President Barack Obama, which, among other things, focused on the stability of the region and the Palestinian cause.
It also commended the emir of Qatar’s recent visit to Turkey, adding that it has achieved good results, which would help serve the Palestinian cause.
The council strongly denounced the heinous attempt against the life of Prince Muhammad bin Naif, assistant interior minister for security affairs, and said terrorist operations would not succeed in undermining the security and stability of the Kingdom. The council sent cables in this regard to King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan, Second Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Prince Naif and Prince Muhammad bin Naif.
The council also expressed satisfaction over the preventive and curative measures taken by member countries against swine flu; reviewed a report about the electric grid link between Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait that became operational in July; and welcomed the free trade agreement recently signed by the GCC and European countries that are members of EFTA.
The council also lent its support to the sovereignty of the United Arab Emirates over three islands that both the UAE and Iran claim and called for a peaceful settlement to the dispute.
It also asked for respect to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Iraq, denouncing the recent explosions in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities. It also asked Iraq to implement all UN Security Council resolutions concerning the situation with Kuwait.
It further urged all Palestinian factions to resort to dialogue to resolve their internal differences and said Palestinian unity is crucial. It also called for Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Arab territories and said peace in the region would only be attained through the establishment of the Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Meanwhile, Al-Alawi told reporters at the end of the meeting that the council had decided to dispatch GCC Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah to Yemen for consultations with officials there. The Yemeni government is currently fighting Shiite rebels in the north. The secretary-general will also present a report on the results of his visit to the council.
Asked about the attitude of the GCC countries toward the recent incidence in Iran following the presidential elections, Al-Alawi said what was happening in Iran is an internal affair and that GCC countries would never meddle in Iran’s internal affairs.
