RIYADH, 11 December 2006 — The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) yesterday announced plans to seek nuclear energy technology for peaceful purposes while repeating its demand to make the Middle East a zone free of weapons of mass destruction. “The states of the Gulf region have a right to possess nuclear energy technology for peaceful purposes,” the final communiqué issued after the GCC summit said.
GCC leaders said they had ordered a “GCC-wide study be conducted to formulate a joint program in the field of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, in keeping with international standards and regulations,” said the communiqué read out by GCC Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah.
The leaders of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates called for a peaceful settlement of the conflict over Iran’s nuclear program, and demanded that Israel, the only country in the Middle East believed to have nuclear weapons, join the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Speaking to reporters after the summit, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said the GCC states’ intention to pursue civilian nuclear technology was not a “threat” to anyone. “We are announcing our intention to pursue the ownership of nuclear technology for peaceful (purposes),” he said.
“It is not a threat... It is an announcement so that there will be no misinterpretation of what we are doing. We are not doing this secretly. We are doing it openly,” he said.
“We want no bombs... Our policy is to have a region free of weapons of mass destruction,” the prince added. “This is why we call on Israel to renounce (nuclear weapons).” The “original sin” was from Israel as it established a nuclear reactor with the only purpose of producing nuclear weapons, Prince Saud said.
Prince Saud said the summit had endorsed a proposal made by King Abdullah to develop the Peninsula Shield, a joint military force of the GCC, in order to strengthen its combined defense capabilities.
Asked about the Baker report, Prince Saud said he believed the report contained both positive and negative things. “The so-called Baker report said some good things and some unclear things,” he said.
The positive thing is that it calls for the renewal of a policy that leads obviously to the settlement in Iraq.
“It has not touched on the issue of the nonofficial military formation there, whether from this side or that side, and therefore it has left out one dangerous element,” he said, while speaking about the negative aspects of the report.
The report, he said, puts too much burden on the government of Iraq that “we do not see how they are going to achieve.”
“The report also indicated that all Iraqis should share the wealth of Iraq,,” he said, adding that all Iraqis should have the same rights, whether they are Sunni, Shiite, or Kurd. “The important thing is not the publication of the report but the follow-up measures,” he pointed out.
The two-day summit, attended by all GCC leaders, adopted a number of economic, political, military and security resolutions. According to Al-Attiyah, all GCC citizens will be able to travel freely between GCC states by next year. “Some countries have issued a “smart card” and others have not, but by the first quarter of 2007, all GCC countries will have to finalize this matter,” he told reporters.
The summit leaders also agreed to finalize the GCC customs union, which is due to be ready by next year. “The summit ordered that all requirements of a GCC common market be fulfilled by the end of 2007,” he said, adding that the opening of GCC markets has increased inter-GCC trade by 20 percent.
The meeting agreed to establish a unified guide for importing food products to be followed by customs departments in the member countries.
Other decisions taken by GCC leaders included the opening up of economic sectors such as transport and insurance. According to the agreement, Gulf citizens will now be able to trade in these sectors in all GCC countries without hindrance.
Referring to the GCC railway project, which aims at linking all member countries by railroads, Al-Attiyah said the summit had asked the departments concerned to complete studying the projects and identify the companies to carry out the project. He did not give further details.
On the issue of health care, GCC leaders have agreed to unify import price of medicine, Al-Attiyah said.
The meeting welcomed the proposal submitted by GCC interior ministers on the formation of a specialized security committee to combat terrorism.
The summit denounced the repeated Israeli aggression on the Palestinians and called for an international conference to “put an end to the arbitrary Israeli measures and criminal actions and activate the Middle East peace process on the basis of Arab peace proposals, the Middle East road map and UN resolutions.”
The meeting urged Israel to release all Palestinian prisoners from its jails. It called on Palestinian leaders to continue their efforts to establish a national unity government. The GCC reiterated that peace and stability would not prevail in the Middle East without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
The summit leaders urged the international community to find a quick solution to the protracted Arab-Israeli conflict. “The international community should give priority to finding a just solution to the Palestinian issue.”
The summit expressed “regret” that Iran has not adhered to direct and indirect international calls to solve the issue of its occupation to three UAE islands. “The Supreme Council reaffirms its support to the UAE in its ownership of the three islands as part and parcel of the country,” the statement said.
As for the long-awaited unified Gulf currency, the statement said the summit had authorized GCC monetary agencies and central banks to pinpoint areas of mutual economic performance. It said ministries of finance would have to agree to the draft before submitting it for final approval by the supreme council of GCC states.
The statement did not mention Oman’s intention to opt out of GCC monetary union.
The GCC leaders also agreed on a system to unify trademarks in GCC states. “This would be an obligatory system which would organize trademarks for registration and protect them and their ownership,” the statement said.
The leaders looked into proposals made by the GCC consultative committee on “economic citizenship‚” in order to promote economic relations among the member countries.
It passed the proposals onto GCC finance ministers to draw out necessary regulations to implement them. Al-Attiyah said the summit agreed on 28 of 30 proposed educational programs to be implemented by the member states. These programs would be supervised by the Arab Gulf Education Bureau.
Referring to the worsening security situation in Iraq, the leaders called for an immediate disarmament of all militias in the war-torn country.
Replying to a question about whether the Kingdom would mediate a peace proposal between Lebanon and Syria, the Saudi foreign minister said the Lebanese “were better off by handling their own issues themselves.” He called on Lebanese political leaders to return to discussions and noted that it was the only way to solve the crisis. He also condemned the assassinations and violence in the country. “Lebanon does not need another tragedy,” he said.
Commenting on Iran’s initiative to break the economic embargo by offering funds to the Palestinian government, Saud said the Kingdom continued to support the Palestinian government through official means. “We support them in official ways and not through briefcases that go in and out,” he said.
“The issue of the Palestinians has poisoned the air,” Prince Saud said. “We hope that in coming to decisions about what is to be done ... the realities of the region will be taken into account and the counsel of the countries of the region will be taken into consideration.”
The summit also extended the term of Al-Attiyah to another three years in appreciation of his efforts. The next summit will be held in Oman.
