March 12, 2004

THE GCC FOREIGN MINISTERS' COUNCIL DISCUSS THE PAPER SUBMITTED BY SAUDI ARABIA ON A JOINT SAUDI-EGYPTIAN-SYRIAN PROPOSAL TO REFORM THE ARAB SITUATION AND DEVELOP THE ARAB LEAGUE. THE COUNCIL STRESSES THE IMPORTANCE OF THE UNITY OF IRAQ, STOPPING THE ISRAELI AGGRESSION AND REALIZING JUST PEACE. THE PRIME MINISTER OF BAHRAIN CALLS ON THE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES TO SUPPORT PRINCE ABDULLAH'S PEACE INITIATIVE. Foreign ministers of Gulf Cooperation Council concluded their two-day meeting. The ministers issued a statement which discussed the issues reviewed by the meeting. The issues discussed by the ministers covered various regional, Arab and international latest developments. The meeting's final statement reiterated GCC stands toward various issues. In one of the stands concerning political and security issues, the foreign ministers condemned the car bombing which occurred in Doha on 13/2/2004 killing Mr. Saleem Khan Yanderbiev. The ministers considered it as a criminal act violating religious, moral and Islamic values. The ministers stressed support for Qatar concerning this issue. The Gulf Cooperation Council Ministerial Council (the foreign ministers) held its 90th session. GCC Secretary General Abdul Rahman Al Atiyyah said the council discussed regional, Arab and international issues and latest developments. ‏The GCC final statement affirmed solidarity with Iraq, maintaining its unity and sovereignty. ‏ The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states affirmed ‏their full solidarity with the Iraqi people, and the importance of ‏reserving Iraq's unity, independence, and sovereignty.‏ ‏ This was stressed out in the final statement released by the GCC Foreign ‏Ministers at the end of their two-day 90th session chaired by Kuwait's Minister of Information Muhammed Abul Hassan.‏ ‏ The statement said the discussions during the meetings centered on the ‏ ‏latest developments in Iraq and their regional and international impacts, and called for non-interference in Iraq's internal affairs, and for an essential UN role to help the Iraqis decide on their political future as soon as possible.‏ The ministers welcomed the UN's latest visit to Iraq and appreciated the ‏efforts made by the Red Cross to search for the POW's of Kuwait and other ‏countries, whose fate is still unknown.‏ ‏ They demanded all international parties to continue search for the Kuwait's POWs and to end all matters related to this human issue as soon as possible. ‏ The final statement underlined the importance of returning the ‏ ‏Kuwaiti possessions and the national archive stolen from Kuwait during the Iraqi invasion in 1990, and held the former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein ‏responsible for all the mass murders committed, and welcomed the Iraqi Governing Council's resolution to prosecute the those who committed anti-human crimes.‏ ‏ The ministers also asserted solidarity with Qatar and all its measures to ‏ ‏unveil the facts behind the assassination of former Chechen President ‏ ‏Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev, and condemned the car bombing that occured in Doha that ‏led to the death of Yandarbiyev, considering it a criminal and an unethical ‏act.‏ ‏ On the three UAE islands occupied by Iran, the statement asserted its stand ‏in supporting UAE's right and sovereignty over the three islands and over its ‏territorial waters, airspace, continental shelf, and the economical area of the ‏Islands that are parts of the UAE.‏ ‏ It expressed regret that contacts between Iran and UAE did not lead to solving the conflict. The statement noted that the foreign ministers followed up the ‏ ‏continuous deterioration of conditions in Palestine, and the challenges ‏ ‏facing the Palestinian conflict and the peace process in the Middle East due ‏to the Israeli stubbornness and provocative policies.‏ ‏ It also condemned Israel's attempts to foil the road map for peace, ‏ ‏construction of the separation wall, and all other Israeli aggressive ‏ ‏practices that are serious violations of the international law.‏ It asserted that the GCC countries support the Palestinians and their right for establishing an independent State with Jerusalem as its capital.‏ ‏ It expressed hope in resuming the peace process through the Arab Initiative and the road map.‏ ‏ The ministers renewed demands to Israel and the International community for a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction.‏ ‏ They underscored the importance of involving Israel in the ‏ ‏Non-Proliferation Treaty and inspection its nuclear facilities by the ‏ ‏International Atomic Energy Agency.‏ ‏ The final statement touched on developing the Arab League, clearing the Arab atmosphere, and the proposal by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Syria. The GCC has assigned Kuwait, current chairman of ‏the GCC session, and the GCC General Secretariat to study the obstacles facing the GCC negotiations with the EU.‏ ‏ The final statement of the GCC's 90th GCC foreign ministers' council ‏ ‏said that the council reviewed economic relations between the GCC and other world organizations. ‏ ‏ It added that the council assigned Kuwait and the GCC General secretariat ‏to hold talks with the European commission in Brussels on the obstacles facing ‏ the progress of negotiations between the GCC and the EU, specially topics related to establishing a free trade-zone between both parties.‏ ‏ It added that the council discussed the progress of the GCC's joint ‏ ‏cooperation since the last session that took place in Kuwait last December. ‏ ‏ It said that the council reviewed minutes of the agricultural, marine, ‏ ‏and trade cooperation committee meetings and their recommendations to facilitate the flow of commodities among the GCC-members within the framework of the Customs union. The council also reviewed the progress of the GCC's Customs union which came under implementation last year. It also reviewed the joint ‏GCC-market, and the monetary union scheduled to be established in 2010, ‏in addition to economic relations between the GCC and other trade partners.‏ ‏ The council discussed the aid of 400 million USD, which the GCC-states ‏ ‏agreed to offer Iran, after the earthquake that struck Bam City last December.‏ ‏ The council also heard a report by the GCC's Secretary General Abdul Rahman ‏ Al-Atiyyah over outcomes of his visits to Lebanon and India last January. It also heard his report over following the implementation of the higher ‏ ‏council's resolution to assign the transportation ministers' committee to ‏ ‏conduct an economic feasibility study on the GCC's railway project.‏ ‏ The statement added that the council discussed several other economic, ‏ ‏security, military, social and legal topics aiming at supporting the GCC's ‏joint work. It also listened to a detailed explanation from the Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs ‏Prince Saud Al-Faisal on the proposal that will be discussed later by the Arab League. Kuwait's Information Minister Mohammed Abu Al-Hassan pointed out that the Foreign Ministers of Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) discussed the paper submitted by Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister, on a joint Saudi-Egyptian-Syrian proposal to reform the Arab situation and develop the Arab League. In a joint press conference with GCC Secretary General Abdul Rahman Ibn Hamad Al-Atiyyah following the conclusion of the 90th session of the ministers, Abu Al-Hassan said the ministers reviewed the situations in the regions, the developments of economic issues and dialogue between GCC member states and European countries. In reply to a question on GCC stand towards a US project in the Middle East, Al-Attiyah stressed that the topic was not discussed since it was not on the agenda. On negotiations between the GCC and the European Union, Al-Atiyyah noted that the aim is to conclude an agreement on a free trade zone between the two sides. The Foreign Ministers of Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) started their 90th session in Riyadh. Kuwait's Information Minister Mohammed Abu Al-Hassan delivered a speech on behalf of Kuwait's Foreign Minister who is also the chairman of the current session. He emphasized the importance of the session which will focus on the future of the Arab situation and its development to be in line with regional and international changes. He renewed condemnation of all terrorist acts, stressing the determination of exerting all efforts to combat and eradicate terrorism. Earlier in the day, the GCC foreign ministers arrived in Riyadh to attend the session. At King Khalid International Airport, they were received by Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister, GCC Secretary General Hamad Al-Atiyyah, other officials and GCC ambassadors to the Kingdom. Foreign Ministers of member states of the Arab ‏Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) began talks as part of their ‏90th session under chairmanship of Kuwait Information Minister Mohamed ‏Abul Hassan.‏ ‏who was attending the meeting on behalf of Kuwaiti Foreign Minister ‏ ‏Sheikh Dr. Mohamed Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah.‏ ‏ In his opening address, Abul Hassan stressed the importance of the session which ‏came on the heels of the 24th GCC summit in Kuwait last December where great ‏ attention was attached to several Gulf, Arab and International issues and had ‏ drawn out horizons of the GCC joint cooperation in the interest of peoples of ‏the region.‏ He said the meeting will discuss the future of the Arab world and the GCC pursuit for Arab development in conformity with regional and international changes.‏ ‏ Abul Hassan stressed the importance of lending support to the Iraqi people and back up international efforts aimed at the achievement of peace and stability ‏in Iraq.‏ ‏ He stressed the importance of the structuring of a political regime in Iraq that help preserve Iraq's sovereignty and help its neighbors enjoy a future where law prevails.‏ ‏ He said the meeting was an opportunity to look into latest developments in Iraq, stressing importance of the active role neighboring countries of Iraq would play in the achievement of security in the Arab country. ‏ ‏‏ The Kuwaiti minister touched on terrorism that had its toll on ‏ ‏countries of the region and the world in general, " a challenge that should be confronted collectively".‏ ‏ He renewed GCC condemnation of all types of terrorism, stressing commitment of all GCC states to fight terrorism, expressing appreciation for Arab, Islamic and International efforts exerted in this regard.‏ ‏ On the situation in Palestine, Abul Hassan voiced the GCC's profound anxiety ‏over the deteriorating situation in Palestine and the atrocities Israeli ‏occupation troops brutalities against the unarmed Palestinian people.‏ He said the just an comprehensive peace in the Middle East would be achieved through the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital and full Israeli withdrawal from occupied Arab lands. Kuwait's Information Minister Mohammed Abu Al-Hassan said at the end of the first meeting of the 90th session the Foreign Ministers of Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) that the ministers have discussed the appendices submitted by the Arab League to reactivate the Arab joint action andreform the Arab League. Briefing the press following the end of the meeting, Abu Al-Hassan said the viewpoints of GCC foreign Ministers on the issues of discussion at the forthcoming Arab summit scheduled for Tunisia are identical. "No differences among us", he told reporters. In reply to a question, he said discussions are currently underway on whether to present a GCC paper on reforms of the Arab League. He declined to answer a question on the postponement of general elections in Iraq. "Priority was for reactivating the mechanism of Arab joint action", he was quoted as saying. He welcomed the participation of Iraq's Governing Council representatives in the Arab League meetings, confirming that invitation was extended to the Iraqi body to attend the Arab League summit the same way they have been taking part in previous meetings. He said support for the Iraqis would take place in different fields through the United Nations and bilateral levels. Kuwaiti Information Minister Mohammed Abul Hassan ‏ confirmed the GCC countries' support for the Kuwaiti candidate for ‏the Arab League position of Assistant Secretary General for Financial and Administrative Affairs. ‏ ‏ In a press conference after chairing the meetings of the GCC Ministerial ‏Council, Abul Hassan confirmed that the Kuwaiti demand to have a Kuwaiti ‏candidate to fill the Arab League position is legal and supported by the Gulf, ‏as Kuwait represents all of the GCC states.‏ ‏ Answering a question, the Kuwaiti Information Minister denied that the Ministerial meeting has tackled the issue of allowing Iraq to join the Gulf ‏Cooperation Council, indicating that the issue was not even listed on the agenda.‏ ‏ On Arab reforms, Minister Abul Hassan said that the ideas raised by the GCC ministerial meeting will be presented to the Arab Ministerial Meeting ‏in Cairo. As for the Russian-Qatari crisis on the heels of the ‏ ‏assassination of former Chechen leader Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev in Doha, the ‏Kuwaiti Minister regretted the incident, praising the Qatari leadership's ‏wisdom and rationality in containing the problem without using force, ‏indicating that it will not affect the Russian-Gulf relations.‏ ‏ Gulf foreign ministers discussed proposals to promote joint action on the eve of the Arab League meeting that will focus on reforming the 22-member body. ‏ The meeting of ministers from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council went into a second session in the evening to examine "plans presented to the Arab League to reform the Arab state of affairs and develop the mechanisms" of joint action, GCC Secretary General Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah said. ‏ Speaking to reporters after the first round of talks, Kuwaiti Information Minister Muhammed Abu Al-Hassan, whose country currently chairs the group, said the body also invited Iraq to join the discussions. "The participation of the Iraqi Governing Council will be the same as before. They have been invited to participate, and any country that has been invited to participate as a member will be allowed to practice their full rights of membership," he said. ‏ Asked whether the meeting discussed the US administration's decision to delay the handover of power to Iraqis, the minister said: "We have not discussed this matter. We focused more on matters of unilateral Arab agreement." ‏ In reply to another question, he denied there had been disagreements. ‏ On a question regarding the GCC's stance on Washington's "Greater Middle East Initiative" to democratize the region, the minister said: "We still have not got into that important subject yet. We're still in the middle of our discussions." ‏ In a joint Saudi-Egyptian statement issued after the visit by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to Riyadh the two sides said the Arabs were proceeding with reform in keeping with their own interests and values, and would "not accept that a particular pattern of reform be imposed on Arab and Islamic countries from outside." ‏ Saudi Arabia and Egypt will present a joint reform paper, endorsed by Syria, to the Arab League. The ministers from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were studying the paper, conference sources said. ‏ Minister Abul Hassan departed Riyadh heading for Cairo to participate in the Arab Ministerial Council's meetings.‏ ‏ Upon arrival in Cairo the Kuwaiti Information Minister Muhammad Abul Hassan ‏said that every Arab state can express an opinion on the tabled proposals to restructure the Arab League.‏ ‏ Abul Hasan made this statement to the press after arriving in Cairo from Riyadh ‏to lead the Kuwaiti delegation at the exceptional meeting of the Arab foreign ‏ministers' council and the council's regular 121st session.‏ ‏‏ He said that the work paper tabled by the Saudi, Syrian and Egyptian foreign ‏ministers on restructuring the league was discussed and will be raised to the ‏foreign ministers' meeting.‏ ‏‏ Abu Al-Hasan had earlier led the GCC's meetings of the foreign ministers' ‏ council in the Saudi capital on behalf of the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh ‏Dr. Muhammad Al-Sabah. ‏ Meanwhile Bahrain said that the region was in need of political reforms, but it stressed that such reforms "should come from within" and not imposed by "outsiders." ‏ "Only home-grown reforms or those accepted by the citizens could be successful," Prime Minister, Sheikh Khalifa Ibn Salman Al Khalifa, was quoted by the Bahrain News Agency, BNA, as saying. ‏ "Imposing projects are not in the interest of the region," he added, "However, this does not mean that Bahrain refuses to co-operate or consult with friendly states for a better future." ‏ The agency said Sheikh Khalifa's statements came during an interview with the London-based Asharq Al Awsat newspaper. ‏ He said the US would consult with regional countries about its Greater Middle East plan, launched by Washington for economic, political and cultural reforms. ‏ Sheikh Khalifa, however, said he could not assess the initiative because Bahrain has not been briefed about its details. ‏ "We agree with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah's statement that the success of reforms depended on people accepting them," Sheikh Khalifa said, adding that the US Secretary of State Colin Powell also agreed with Prince Abdullah. ‏ "We in Bahrain are happy with the political developments which have been approved by the people, which guarantees their success," he said. He also called upon France and the European Union to play a leading role in the Middle East by reinvigorating the Quartet and the roadmap. ‏ The Bahraini Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa Ibn Salman Al Khalifa urged France and the European Union to take the leading role in reactivating the US road map. ‏ He also urged the French government to head a European initiative to support the proposals of Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah to bring peace to the Middle East. ‏ The Saudi initiative was adopted by the Arab Summit held in Beirut in 2002. The Prime Minister, who was giving an interview in Paris to the London- based Arabic daily Asharq Al Awsat, said a solution to the Palestinian issue would benefit Europe as well as the Arab countries. ‏ He also urged the Iraqi people to avoid pitfalls laid in their path and ensure they did nothing that might lead to their country's destruction. ‏ Turning to the forthcoming Arab Summit in Tunisia, the Bahraini Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa Ibn Salman Al Khalifa called for a unified stance which would bring the Middle East crisis back to the world's attention and also find a means to end the conflict. ‏ Sheikh Khalifa Ibn Salman Al Khalifa said he still considered the road map as the best initiative to end the dispute between the Palestinians and Israel. But he said what was most needed was for the will of the world community to bring about justice for all parties. ‏ On the other hand the Arab Foreign Ministers concluded in Cairo the two-day extraordinary meeting during which Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister, presided over the Kingdom's delegation to the meeting. ‏ In a statement to the press, the Egyptian Foreign Minister and the head of the meeting Ahmad Maher announced that the ministers agreed on a document over the development of the Arab League which will be submitted to the Arab leaders during the upcoming Arab summit in Tunisia. ‏ "The document depended on the tripartite initiative (Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria) and the proposals of the Arab League and there is no more initiative except this one which expresses the Arab agreement on reforms," Maher said, noting that there will be a final revision to the document. ‏ He added that the agreement of the ministers on this document shows that there is no dispute and also stresses on the reforms and the refusal to the continuation of the present Arab situation. ‏ On his part, the Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Mousa said that the agreement on the document came after a two-day in-depth discussions to reform the Arab League and the joint Arab word. ‏ Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa had said the main Arab objection centres around how the United States drafted its proposals without consulting the countries affected. ‏ Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, commenting on the idea, said ''discussions were under way for a unified Arab position toward the American and other initiatives.'' ‏ Moussa insisted that any Middle East initiative should also deal with the Arab-Israeli conflict. ‏ ''The absence of this element has raised big question marks and doubts in the credibility of such initiatives,'' he told reporters. ‏ The Egyptian-Saudi plan also suggests that Arab states coordinate their foreign and security policies. ‏ Arab foreign ministers had began their closed sessions within an extraordinary conference in Cairo under the chairmanship of Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher to discuss proposals of reforms of the Arab League. Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister, led the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's delegation to the meeting. ‏ During their closed meetings, the ministers discussed the development of a joint Arab action system in light of the tripartite initiative submitted by the Kingdom, Egypt and Syria in addition to other initiatives presented by member states of the Arab League. The Arab foreign ministers were expected to forward to the Arab leaders a report on the outcome of their discussions on how to reform the Arab League. ‏ The Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Maher reirated his country's rejection of foreign attempts to impose reforms in the Middle East.‏ He told a press conference on sideline of the Arab Follow Up Committee meeting "we are not waiting for anyone to guide us on the theme of reform".‏ ‏‏ But he added "we welcome anyone who is willing to cooperate with us" on ‏ ‏the awaited reforms.‏ ‏ Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister and Head of the Saudi delegation to the meetings of Foreign Ministers of the Arab follow-up committee which concluded its meetings said that they agreed that the Committee should revive the Road Map within the framework of rallying support for the Arab peace initiative and convincing other peace loving countries. ‏ On the stand towards a Saudi-Egyptian-Syrian initiative to restructure the system of a joint Arab action, Prince Saud Al-Faisal said in a press statement it is a tripartite initiative submitted by Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Syria, adding that it is agreed to discuss it at the Arab League. ‏ Prince Saud noted that the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council held a general discussion about the initiative. ‏