December 22, 2006

THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES AT THE GCC SUMMIT: THE REGION IS BELEAGUERED WITH DANGERS, MAKING IT LOOK LIKE A POWDER KEG AWAITING AN EXPLODING SPARK. KING ABDULLAH BIN ABDUL AZIZ WARNS THE PALESTINIAN BROTHERS OF THE DANGEROUS DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THEM, THE LEBANESE OF A NEW SLIDE TO THE NIGHTMARE OF INAUSPICIOUS DISPUTE AND THE IRAQIS OF THE CRAZY DISPUTE AMONGST BROTHERS. LEADERS OF THE GCC STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF FACING THE CHALLENGES. PRINCE SAUD AL-FAISAL: THE GCC COUNTRIES DO NOT SEEK THROUGH NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY TO DOMINATE OR THREATEN ANY OTHER PARTY BUT SEEK BRINGING ABOUT STABILITY. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud opened at Al-Dareya palace in Riyadh the 27th session of the supreme council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC ) "Jaber Summit". The inaugural ceremony was opened with a recitation of verses from the Holy Quran. Addressing the summit, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz welcomed, on his own behalf and the Saudi people, the GCC leaders to their second country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, praying to Almighty Allah to crown this summit with success to come out with concrete outcomes for the glory and strength of our gulf, Arab and Muslim nations. The Monarch expressed his best thanks to President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayid Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates for his wisdom during his presidency of the previous summit, wishing him all success. As this summit is the first meeting, after the death of late Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, the Emir of Kuwait, May Allah bless his soul, we call this summit after him for his efforts in the service of gulf cooperation, the King noted. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques said,'' this annual meeting is a chance for reviewing what we have achieved and have not achieved for some reasons last year. Considering the review with the measurement of the political situation and with the criterion of what is possible, we have achieved good accomplishments politically and economically. But when the review is measured by ambitions of our peoples and the criterion of what is necessary for this era, we conclude that our achievements have been still humble and far from our peoples' aspirations. Review does not mean despair or disappointment, but, on the contrary, it renews and strengthens our determination and resolution. All dreams that seem impossible today might be goals available at our hands tomorrow and will be achieved by sincere intentions and efforts. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques stated that our region is beleaguered with dangers, making it look like a powder keg awaiting an exploding spark. Dear Palestine is our basic issue which is lying between a detested aggressive occupation fearful of nobody, a world community which looks to the bloody tragedy as a bystander and a dangerous differences among the Palestinian brothers, the King said. In brotherly Iraq, brothers are still killing each other, pushing the beloved country to the verge of a darkness of sedition, and crazy dispute, he said, adding that in the lovely Lebanon, we see dark clouds threatening the unity of the country and warning of a new slide to the nightmare of inauspicious dispute among the sons of the one nation. King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz said that in our gulf region, a number of issues are still pending action and ambiguity is still marring some policies and orientations. Amid such problems, we have no way out but to make a one solid rank and have one voice that reflects the view of all the Arab Gulf region, he added. With this one stand and one voice, we could assist our brothers in Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon and provide support for our Arab and Islamic nation everywhere, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques said. The King added that when we speak about the economic integration, we find that we have made great strides but we are still a long way from achieving the complete economic unity and away from the situation where a GCC citizen receives the same treatment everywhere in the gulf as if he is at home. The Monarch said real obstacles remain blocking the road and I would not play down their size and importance. The reservations that derailed the march came from almost each member country, rather than particular one or two member states, he said. The dream of the economic unity should never be forgotten for a while as without it we are tiny entities that could be subject to the effect of others rather than contribute to affecting them and with unity, we remain a force that could never be neglected, the king concluded, wishing the meeting every success. In his speech, the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah expressed his appreciation of and thanks to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz for calling the current session as Jaber Summit. Then the GCC leaders held a closed-door session. The kingdom's delegation to the summit includes Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz. Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Miteb Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs; Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, the Minister of Interior; Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Riyadh Region; Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister; Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi, the Minister of Labor; Dr. Ibrahim Al-Assaf, the Finance Minister and Iyad Bin Amin Madani, the Minister of Culture and Information. On the other hand following the end of the 27th session of the supreme council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Jaber Summit) in Riyadh, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister, and Abdul Rahman Bin Hamad Al-Atiyyah, the Secretary General of the GCC , held a joint press conference to highlight the outcome of the two-day event. Iyad Bin Ameen Madani, Minister of Culture and Information, attended the conference which was held at Al-Dareya palace at Riyadh's eastern district of Al-Dareya. In a speech to reporters, Prince Saud Al-Faisal said the summit's communique is quite transparent and needs no further clarification. Prince Saud highlighted the frankness and transparency which characterized the speech of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz at the GCC summit, pointing to the king's keenness that the GCC should have a united stance to be respected at the international arenas. He added that the speech focused on the development of a gulf citizen. The King stressed the necessity of education of the gulf citizen, elimination of obstacles on his way to feel that he is part of the gulf entity and the strengthening of defence means of GCC . Prince Saud pointed out that the GCC Supreme Council endorsed the plan proposed by King Abdullah to develop the Peninsula Shield Force to be effective in the defence of the homeland. On his part, Al-Atiyyah thanked the leaders on the confidence bestowed on him to continue his mission as Secretary General of the GCC beyond the expiration date of his current term of office. He said the meeting commissioned him to further study the ideas contained in a paper submitted to the summit by Kuwait on the economic, developmental, security and political aspects of the joint march of the GCC , vowing to submit the outcome of the secretariat general review on the study to the next summit in Muscat in December 2007. He said the custom union has become a reality since 2003, increasing the trade exchange among the member countries to more than 20 percent. The common market of the GCC countries would provide equal job opportunities and investment for their citizens in addition to health and educational services in any member state. In response to a question, Prince Saud Al-Faisal said Saudi Arabia and the other GCC member states send their assistance to the Palestinian people directly and openly through the Palestinian authority. In response to a question on reports that there were differences of view points among the GCC member countries on some issues, particularly after the departure of Qatar's Foreign Minister before the end of the closing session, Prince Saud said he could not see such difference. I believe there is no problem since the departure took place at the closing session, he commented. On the use of GCC countries of peaceful nuclear technology, Prince Saud said the possession of peaceful nuclear technology is a legal right and that such technology is crucial to the GCC countries in scientific fields to cope with the current progress witnessed in this field. He said the GCC countries obviously do not seek through this technology to dominate or threaten any other party but seek bringing about stability. In response to a question, he said the summit did not discuss the formation of a unified gulf parliament as our legislative bodies practice their inter-gulf, regional and international exchanges with others. On the accession of Yemen to the GCC , he said Oman summit 2001 called on the accession of Yemen to a number of GCC organizations. Work is underway so that Yemen joins the rest of organizations, Prince Saud added. He recalled that Yemen's Foreign Minister visited the kingdom just before the opening of the summit, carrying a message from President Ali Abdullah Salih of Yemen to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz in his capacity as President of the current session expressing appreciation of and thanks to the GCC leaders for their support for Yemen, particularly at the recently concluded London-based international donor conference. Replying to a question on the paper submitted by Oman on dealing with US policy following the report of Baker Hamilton, Prince Saud said that the paper was referred to a specialized committee to study it and present it to the GCC leaders in the next session. It deals with unification of visions of foreign policies of GCC countries on various issues. On the situation in Lebanon, Prince Saud said that we are against all assassinations and we demanded that various parties return to the dialogue to solve their problems. The existing language will not solve the problem, he noted. The solution will be in sitting at one table. Lebanon does not need more problems, he said and added we support Lebanon economically and they should solve their political problems and avoid troubles. There are various peaceful solutions to calm and develop Lebanon, Prince Saud said. On his visit to Lebanon to solve existing differences, he said this is not the first time I visited Lebanon. The most important matter is what Lebanon wants and how it meets to solve its problems. We contribute, assist and will not be delayed in this regard, he indicated. Before the summit the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council said that the Sheikh Jaber Summit, would address the situation in Iraq, Iran's nuclear program, regional security agreements, a unified currency and other important issues related to the welfare of the Gulf citizen and mutual agreements between GCC countries. "The meeting will include security and political developments, such as the topic of combating terrorism and Iran's occupation of three islands claimed by the UAE, as well as relations with Iran and the Iranian nuclear project," Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah, GCC Secretary-General, told the Saudi Press Agency. He said the leaders would also touch upon the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the bloodshed in Darfur, and the situation in Lebanon following this summer's skirmishes with Israel. "What Lebanon is going through is a matter of concern," said the GCC chief. "We at the GCC hope that wisdom will prevail and that all parties will be responsible and combat the threats of division and disunity." Ministers from the GCC states of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE and Oman will also discuss advancing the unified Gulf market, which currently includes favourable trading status among member states, he said. Al-Attiyah also mentioned that member states would address the issue of granting all GCC citizens equal rights of accommodation, movement, health services and property ownership. "Regulations have been approved throughout the GCC that enable a GCC citizen to practice any trade in any of the GCC countries and receive the same treatment as a citizen," he said. GCC Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Al-Attiya said that the GCC was proceeding with the 2010 preliminary deadline for the GCC vote, despite Oman's request to opt out and join in again at a later date. The six countries have agreed to five criteria for a European Union-style economic union, including capping budget deficits at three percent of gross domestic product, capping public debt at 60 percent of GDP and inflation at the GCC average plus two percent. Interest rates are to be no higher than the average of the lowest three states plus two percent and countries must have foreign exchange reserves to cover four to six months of imports. The Secretary-General of the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Abdul-Rahman Al-Atiyyah said Friday the agenda of Supreme Council's 27th session, would focus on joint action in various spheres including key political and security perspectives as well as several other issues of concern to the region's development and progress. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency, he said the agenda also included issues such as counter-terrorism; Iran's occupation of the three islands belonging to the United Arab Emirates; the prospective relations with Iran and the Iranian nuclear file; the current situation in Iraq and the occupied Palestinian lands; the peace process in the Middle East and the latest developments in Lebanon, the Sudan and Somalia. Referring to current happenings in Lebanon, Al-Atiyyah stressed that these conditions calls for concern as they might lead to unpredictable consequences. "We in the Council, wish that wisdom would prevail and make all people assume their responsibilities in addressing to the risks of sedition and the prevention of division and divisiveness." He explained that the GCC General Secretariat is getting prepared since the last 26th summit, held in Abu Dhabi, by following up the implementation of the resolutions of the previous summit (King Fahd Summit), and the preparation of the meetings of technical ministerial committees to present the results to the meetings of foreign ministers for approval. As regards the efforts of integration between the GCC countries, Al-Atiyyah said the integration efforts are numerous and deep-rooted in all areas. He affirmed that the Gulf Common Market, is one of the most significant steps on the way to the desired integration through economic unity among the GCC countries. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah decided to name the 27th GCC summit after the late Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Jaber Al-Sabah, who passed away earlier this year. The 26th council meeting took place in the UAE last year. Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal warned earlier in the week that Iraq "poses a great challenge to the region, its security and its future" and called for "halting all forms of interference." Gulf countries also say they are worried about Iran's disputed nuclear program. Iran is in a standoff with the West over refusing to suspend uranium enrichment. The United States and its allies allege Tehran is secretly developing nuclear weapons, and are pressing for sanctions against the country. On the other hand Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), expressed his optimism that the GCC summit, would yield positive results and adopt 'constructive' decisions. In a statement following his arrival in Riyadh, he said the challenges facing the region make it important for the GCC leaders to coordinate their stands. He expressed happiness for the achievements attained since the last GCC summit held in Abu Dhabi last year. He pointed out that serious steps have been taken to remove commercial barriers among the GCC states and to complete the requirements of the gulf common market. Sheikh Khalifa said the specialized committees have made big strides to establish the monetary union, and issue the unified gulf currency. He also said unified military and strategic strategies have been approved, and a committee has been formed for combating terrorism. Meanwhile, King of Bahrain Sheikh Hamad Al-Khalifa urged the GCC states to take the required measures for serving their interests. In a press statement after his arrival in Riyadh, he called for strengthening economic ties among the GCC states. Sheikh Al-Khalifa underlined the importance of exerting intensive efforts for the preservation of the GCC accomplishments and for meeting the aspirations of the gulf people. 'Moreover, there is no option other than greater cooperation among the GCC states', he said. The GCC is made up of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. On his part, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Qatari Emir, expressed happiness over meeting his brothers - the GCC leaders. He hoped that the GCC summit would yield positive results and contribute to the realization of the aspirations of the GCC people. The leaders of the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) arrived in the Kingdom to participate in the 27th session of the GCC supreme council, named as "Sheikh Jaber Summi." The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz received Gulf Cooperation Council leaders who arrived in Riyadh to participate in the GCC 27th summit scheduled for Riyadh. He received King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa of the kingdom of Bahrain; Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah, Emir of the state of Kuwait; Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed of Oman; Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zaed Al Nahayan, President of the United Arab Emirates; and Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar. He welcomed them in their second country the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, wishing them good stay and successful meeting. The audience was attended by Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defence and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Interior, Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Governor of Riyadh region; and Abdul Rahman Bin Hamad Al-Atiyyah, Secretary General of the GCC. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz held a grand dinner party in Riyadh in honour of visiting other leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council and accompanying official delegations. Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, also attended the event. Also attending were princes, Shoura Council chairman, ministers, heads of diplomatic missions accredited to the kingdom and senior civil and military officials. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud paid a visit to Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed Of Oman at his guest residence at Al-Dareya palace in Riyadh. During the visit, they discussed the items on the GCC 27th summit's agenda. The audience was attended by Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince General Mit'eb Bin Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, Assistant Deputy Commander of the National Guard for Military Affairs; Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, Advisor to the King; Prince Dr. Bandar Bin Salman Bin Mohammed Al Saud, Advisor to the King; Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of State, Member of the Cabinet and Chief of the Court of the Cabinet's Presidency and Abdullah Bin Ahmed Zenal, Minister of State and Member of the Cabinet. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud paid visits to the other leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council at their guest residences at Al-Dareya palace in Riyadh. He visited Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zaed Al Nahayan, President of the United Arab Emirates; King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa of the kingdom of Bahrain; Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah, Emir of the state of Kuwait; Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar. During the visits, items on the GCC 27th summit's (Jaber Summit) agenda were discussed. The audiences were attended by the official delegations of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques on one part and his colleagues the GCC leaders on the other. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), received Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, The Kuwaiti Emir. They reviewed issues pertaining to the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Meanwhile, King Hamad Bin Eisa Al-Khalifa of Bahrain received sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Kuwaiti Emir. They reviewed issues pertaining to the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council. The meetings were attended by the official accompanying delegations of the leaders. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz has received a message from President Ali Abdullah Salih of the Republic of Yemen. The message was delivered to the King by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Yemen Dr. Abu-Bakr Al-Girbi during an audience with the King at Al-Dareya palace in Riyadh. The minister also conveyed to the Monarch the greetings of President Salih. In turn, King Abdullah sent his greetings to the president. The audience was attended by Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister; Prince General Mit'eb Bin Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, Assistant Deputy Commander of the National Guard for Military Affairs; Prince Dr. Bandar Bin Salman Bin Mohammed Al Saud, Advisor to the King; Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of State, Member of the Cabinet and Chief of the Court of the Cabinet's Presidency; and Yemen's Ambassador to the Kingdom Mohammed Bin Ali Al-Ahwal.