JEDDAH, 30 April 2007 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah yesterday received GCC Shoura Council members at his palace in Riyadh and urged them to work for strengthening the unity of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
“Our Gulf is now a target. I myself and other Gulf leaders are aware of them,” the king said, referring to the forces targeting the region. He reminded the Shoura members of their tremendous responsibility.
“Depend on God the Almighty, not anyone else. As long as a person depends on God, he will not fear anybody else, whoever it may be,” the king said in an extempore speech reported by the Saudi Press Agency. “You know better than me that many are envious of your Gulf region and you know the higher interest of your countries and you should not listen to anything that would cause division,” the king said.
Abdullah told the members that if they did not take the initiative to strengthen the GCC, later generations will have to do that. “You have to tell foreigners that we are a peace-loving people and our citizens are brothers in blood, language and faith.”
He also emphasized the need for instilling patriotism in GCC citizens. The GCC groups Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
The GCC Shoura members were in Riyadh to attend a regular meeting. The reception at Al-Yamamah Palace was also attended by Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah, the group’s secretary-general.
Speaking on behalf of the Shoura, Muhammad Al-Rasheed commended Saudi Arabia for its successful campaign to root out terrorists in the country. He also explained the Shoura’s achievements during the past 10 years.
