RIYADH, 3 January 2008 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah held talks here yesterday with King Hamad of Bahrain on major regional and international developments, most importantly on the situations in Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon, the Saudi Press Agency said.
“The two leaders also reviewed joint work within the framework of the Gulf Cooperation Council and major GCC achievements, including the Gulf Common Market, which became a reality on Jan. 1, 2008,” SPA said.
King Abdullah and King Hamad also explored prospects of expanding cooperation between the two GCC neighbors. The GCC groups Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, and Oman in addition to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
Crown Prince Sultan, Prince Miteb, minister of municipal and rural affairs, Riyadh Governor Prince Salman, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and Intelligence Chief Prince Muqrin attended the talks that were held at the king’s ranch in Janadriya outside the capital city.
Earlier in an arrival statement, King Hamad said the visit was a good opportunity to discuss with King Abdullah all issues that concern the two countries. He also hailed Saudi Arabia’s support to Bahrain.
King Hamad commended Saudi authorities for their successful management of this year’s Haj operation. Nearly three million pilgrims from Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Islamic world attended the Haj, the largest gathering in the world.
The Bahraini monarch also noted King Abdullah’s efforts to strengthen the GCC by boosting relations between the member countries. King Abdullah led the Saudi delegation to the GCC summit that was held in Qatar last month.
King Hamad was accompanied by a high-level delegation including Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Muhammad ibn Mubarak, Minister of the Court Sheikh Khaled ibn Ahmed and Defense Minister and Deputy Commander Sheikh Khalifa ibn Ahmed.
Earlier, on arrival at Riyadh airport, the Bahraini king was received by Prince Sultan, Prince Salman, Prince Muqrin and other high-ranking officials.
