March 9, 2007

GCC FOREIGN MINISTERS CALL FOR A MIDDLE EAST FREE OF WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. THE MINISTERIAL COUNCIL RECOGNIZES THE RIGHT OF ANY COUNTRY TO POSSESS NUCLEAR ENERGY FOR PEACEFUL PURPOSES WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS. THE COUNCIL CONDEMN ISRAEL EXCAVATION WORKS UNDERNEATH AL-AQSA MOSQUE AND STRESS THAT COMPREHENSIVE AND FAIR PEACE CAN NOT BE ACHIEVED UNLESS ISRAEL WITHDRAWS FROM THE OCCUPIED ARAB TERRITORIES IN 1967. Foreign Ministers of the countries of Gulf Cooperation Council arrived in Riyadh to participate in the 102nd session of the ministerial Council of the GCC. At the airport, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister, received the foreign ministers of Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar, Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Sabah Alsalim Alsabah, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahayan, Dr. Nizar Bin Sadiq Albaharnah, Yosif Bin Alawi Bin Abdullah and Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasim Bin Jabr Al Thani, respectively. Foreign ministers of the member countries of the gulf cooperation Council (GCC) started the 102nd session of the GCC ministerial Council. Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister, chaired the meeting, welcoming his colleagues in their second country and wishing their meeting every success. He said the meeting comes in the aftermath of the Arab League ministerial meeting held in Cairo and on the eve of the Arab Summit scheduled for Riyadh late this month. It is then obvious that our meeting would focus on the issues of interests to the Arab leaders and try to forge a concerted position of the GCC countries on the Arab summit agenda, Prince Saud told the GCC ministers. Prince Saud said the Palestinian issue is no doubt the Arab community's first concern. In this regard, two aspects deserve focusing: first Makkah agreement and second the Israeli plans to judaize Al Quds. On Iraq, our position was and will remain to underscore the importance of the unity, independence and security of the Arab country which should remain away from foreign interference, he said adding that the security plan, now underway in Iraq, will not yield its fruits unless it comes within real national reconciliation for all Iraqis and complete disappearance of all forms of sectarian retaliation. In Lebanon, political turmoil and instability still prevail, Prince Saud, adding that the Lebanese should decide themselves how to overcome their differences for the national interest of their country. He said the nuclear file becomes of concern to the region's countries. It is the right of all countries in the region to acquire nuclear power for peaceful purposes, Prince Saud said. Then the ministers held a closed-door session. Gulf Cooperation Council Foreign Ministers concluded their 102nd session held in Riyadh under the chairmanship of Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the foreign minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Abdul Rahman Bin Hamad Al-Atiyyah, Secretary General of the GCC, also participated in the meeting. Following the meeting, a joint statement was issued. The meeting was briefed on the contacts and consultations held between the GCC on one hand and the European Union, China, Merksor Group, Afta countries and Japan. The meeting urged negotiators to expedite the pace of negotiations with these parties. The Council dealt with several joint work files, including post, communications, information technology, health, education, labor, social affairs, culture, military cooperation, security coordination and economic issues. On combating terrorism, the Council condemned the terrorist act that claimed the lives of four French nationals in Saudi Arabia recently, sending the ministers' condolences to the French government, people and relatives of the victims. On the use of nuclear technology in peaceful purposes, the ministerial Council demanded making the Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction, including the Gulf region, recognizing the right of any country in possessing nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. In this regard, the Secretary General of the GCC briefed the meeting on the talks he held with the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), prior to taking the necessary measures to implement the instructions of the GCC supreme Council to conduct a joint study for the GCC countries in the field of using nuclear technology for peaceful purposes according to international regulations and standards. In the political field, the Council reviewed all developments in the region and announced the position of its member stats towards them as follows: On the Palestinian issue, the Council lauded Makkah agreement reached between Fatah and Hamas to stop in-fighting and form a national unity government. To this end, the GCC lauded the efforts exerted by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz to bring together the Palestinian foes as Palestinian brothers. The Council called on the world community, United States of America, Federal Russia, Quartet to expedite efforts to break sanctions imposed against the Palestinian people. In this regard, the Council called on Israel to desist from provocative acts, citing the recent excavation works underneath Al-Aqsa mosque, considered a flagrant violation of the sanctity of the mosque and a threat to obliterate the landmarks of Muslims first Qibla and their holy city. The Communique called on the world community and UNESCO in particular to intervene to stop these Israeli practices. The GCC said comprehensive and fair peace could not be achieved in the Middle East unless Israel withdraws from the occupied Arab territories in 1967, noting that partial solutions are no longer acceptable as an alternative to a fair solution of the Middle East issue according to the international legitimacy resolutions. On Iran, the Council expressed support of the right of UAE to restore the Iranian occupied three islands of Tunb Al Kubra, Tunb Al Sughra and Abu-Musa, their regional territorial waters, continental shelf and economic zone, calling on Iran to accept the UAE proposal that either the issue is solved through negotiations between the two parties or they resort to international arbitration. On Iran's nuclear issue, the Council reiterated its call for the importance of reaching a peaceful solution for this crisis and urged Iran to continue dialogue with the world community on this issue. The GCC demanded that Israel joins the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons treaty and makes all its nuclear facilities subject to international inspection system of the IAEA, urging the world community to mount pressure on Israel to coerce it to succumb to the world community demands. On Iraq, the Council expressed concern over the escalation of violence in Iraq, welcoming the current security plan and hoping that it would help cool down violence and out-law acts. The statement called on all countries to remain committed to Iraq's sovereignty, independence, unity, Arab and Islamic identity, and reject calls or attempts to turn it fragmented and destabilized. The statement said the solution of the Iraqi dilemma lies first on the Iraqi government and political leaders, support and cooperation of Arab countries and neighboring countries to enable them to shoulder responsibility. The Communique welcomed holding the 10th meeting of foreign ministers of iraq's neighboring countries in Baghdad on 10 march 2007. The GCC urged the united nations to continue efforts to find out the national archive of Kuwait which was smuggled during the gulf war (1990 - 1991), identify the fate of the surviving prisoners of war, and Kuwaiti citizens who went missing during the war and others. On Lebanon, the Council called on Lebanese foes and political forces to resort to constructive dialogue for the sake of the country's security and stability. On the situation in Darfur in sudan, the Council called on the world community to exert more efforts to assist Sudan, provide enough support to enable the parties reach a peaceful solution to the crisis in Darfur, noting that the Sudanese government has taken positive steps to solve the crisis. The Council also lauded the efforts exerted by the Arab league, African union and United Nations to break the impasse in Darfur. On Somalia, the GCC called on all the Somalis warring factions to resort to reason, negotiations, and dialogue to reach reconciliation that ends the sufferings of the Somali people. The meeting looks forward to the reconciliation conference scheduled for next April in Somalia to yield positive results. The GCC foreign ministers welcomed the forthcoming Arab summit to be held in Riyadh from 28 - 29 March 2007, wishing it every success. The Arab Gulf states reject all forms of foreign interference in Iraq's internal affairs which was already maintaining a state of tension and instability, Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) said. The six states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are against foreign interference in Iraq's internal affairs, Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), answered a question at a news conference after a meeting of GCC foreign ministers. On Iraq's neighbors' meeting, Al-Attiyah said three GCC countries would be represented by senior officials in the meeting that would be held in Baghdad on march 10, the first since the removal of the former Iraqi regime. He did not elaborate. The GCC Secretary General reiterated commitment to the Arab peace initiative, adopted during the Arab summit in Beirut in 2002. He said any attempt to undermine the peace initiative would jeopardize the Palestinian cause. Al-Attiyah said he informed the foreign ministers on the assistance program with Yemen and the outcome of the donors' conference in London concerning Yemen. He also briefed them with his talks with director general of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohammad El-Baradei regarding the GCC peaceful nuclear program. Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs Nezar Madani, meanwhile, said Riyadh sent invitations to all Arab countries to attend the Arab summit, slated for late this month in the Saudi capital. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal urged the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries to unify their positions on all regional issues. The urge was made by the Saudi foreign minister in his speech during the inaugural session of the meeting of the Gulf Council of Foreign Ministers. He said "As usual, the Palestinian issue is atop the agenda of talks on the basis that it is the key Arab issue that has seen significant developments following the Makkah Agreement." In this context, he expressed hope that the Makkah Agreement would constitute an important turning point in the way the international community deals with the Palestinian leadership. Prince Saud Al-Faisal called for easing the suffering of the Palestinian people and stopping aggressive Israeli measures, including excavations at Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest Muslim site. Meanwhile, concerning Iraq, the Saudi foreign minister reiterated the GCC countries' support for Iraq's unity, territorial integrity and independence, calling for stopping all forms of foreign interference in Iraq's internal affairs and stimulating national reconciliation. He believed that the fresh Iraqi security plan, recently adopted by the Iraqi government, would bear fruits only when a genuine national reconciliation was created in Iraq and sectarian conflicts were wiped out. Regarding Lebanon, he urged all Lebanese parties involved to bury the hatchet and favor their country's national interest. Prince Saud Al-Faisal, turning into another Muslim problem, sounded the alarm about the harbingers of a looming sectarian sedition between the Shiites and the Sunnites in the region, pointing to Saudi Arabia's efforts to contain such a sedition through concerted coordination with all countries in the region, including Iran, with a view to maintaining regional security and stability. On Iran's nuclear standoff, he said it has become an additional burden on the region, which already has many challenged to face. But, he called for resolving it by diplomatic means. On Gulf affairs, the top Saudi diplomat hoped that the ongoing meeting would produce resolutions that could lead to a further promotion and consolidation of common Gulf action and establishment of Gulf citizenship for a uniform and firm Gulf economy. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) rejects escalating Iran's nuke program issue to the level of military confrontation to avoid potential negative impact on the entire region, GCC General Secretary Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah told the Arabian Gulf Security-Internal and External Challenges" conference. Addressing the conference, the 12th annual conference of the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR), Al-Attiyah underscored the necessity of sticking to 'justice and equity' on the issue of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in the region, calling for an WMD-free region. "In principle, the GCC countries oppose inclusion of the military nuke factor, by any party, into the balance of powers in the region" Al-Attiyah said. "Still, there is room for a political solution to the crisis, but this requires unconventional bold and rational views." The GCC Secretary General noted that security in the Arab Gulf was still suffering 'imbalance' aggravated by the occupation of Iraq. More risks are there than before 2003. According to Al-Attiyah, the security dilemma in the Gulf remains a focal point and, therefore, GCC member states adopted the view that the legalized regional security partnership the lone way out. He also said Iran was a main party for realizing political and economic security in the region and so "there is need to seek a formula for mutual understanding and co-existence on both shores of the Gulf." Strategy has to be developed for the occupation forces to get out of Iraq, setting a schedule for withdrawal. The GCC respects the Iraqi people's right to freely choose their own system of government and no body has the right to interfere in their affairs," Al-Atiyyah said. He also referred to the GCC anti-terror strategy of 'direct comprehensive intellectual confrontation,' fruit of which already seen in the battle against terrorism and extremism. ECSSR held the security system conference as part of its general annual conference mainly shedding light on the nature of the regional and international strategic relations of the Gulf states together with issues relevant to economic growth and social development.