GCC Leaders hold Consultative Session;  GCC Foreign Ministers Meet

GCC Leaders Gather In Jeddah For Annual Consultative Session

Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz addressed the leaders of the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), who were attending the group’s Fourth Consultative Council in Jeddah on May 27. He briefed them on his meetings with U.S. President George W. Bush and senior officials of the U.S. administration during his visit to the United States in late April and on his talks with the Presidents of Egypt and Syria at the Sharm Al-Shaikh Summit.

The council session was attended by King of Bahrain Shaikh Hamad Al-Khalifah; Emir of Qatar Shaikh Hamad Al-Thani; Heir Apparent of Abu Dhabi Shaikh Khalifah Al-Nahayan, as head of the United Arab Emirates delegation; Deputy Prime Minister Fahd Al-Saeed as head of the delegation from Oman; and First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as head of the Kuwaiti delegation. The first consultative session was held in 1999 in Saudi Arabia, the second in Oman in 2000 and the third in Bahrain in 2001.

At a press conference following the session, GCC Secretary-General Abdulrahman Al-Atiyyah said Crown Prince Abdullah had proposed mechanisms and practical measures  aimed at expediting measures for economic integration among the member states and implementing the decisions made by the GCC to achieve a common Gulf market. He said these proposals were studied by the GCC leaders and submitted to specialized committees for further analysis and implementation.

Secretary-General Al-Atiyyah said the GCC leaders had expressed their appreciation and support of the Kingdom’s efforts in the Palestinian issue, asserting that peace is the strategic choice of the Arab world and emphasizing their countries’ rejection of all forms of violence. They also stressed the need for implementation by Iraq of the agreement reached at the Beirut Summit and for improvement in relations between the United Arab Emirates and Iran.

The GCC leaders expressed anxiety over escalation of tension between Pakistan and India, and called on the two countries to exercise self-restraint and settle their dispute through peaceful means. Concerning the proposed admission of Yemen into the GCC, the GCC leaders noted that Yemen had already joined the GCC sports, health, education, labor and social affairs councils.

GCC Foreign Ministers Discuss Regional And International Issues

The foreign ministers of the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) held their 83rd conference in Jeddah June 8 under the chairmanship of Oman’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, who in his opening address commented on the GCC Consultative Council held in Jeddah on May 27, saying it had focused on the necessity of activating economic cooperation and standardizing regulations, policies and currencies in order to set up a common Gulf market.

At the end of the conference, the foreign ministers issued a joint communiqué that began by congratulating the King and people of Bahrain on the outcome of the recent municipal elections there, and by welcoming the agreement on diplomatic and consular cooperation between Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The communiqué said mechanisms and practical measures were discussed for implementation of the valuable ideas submitted to the Fourth Consultative Summit by Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, aimed at expediting measures for economic integration among the member states and implementing the decisions made by the GCC to achieve a common Gulf market.

The foreign ministers reviewed the outcome of meetings of the finance and economy ministers regarding application of the customs union by early 2003 and follow-up of implementation of a timetable to pave the way for the issuance of a unified currency for the GCC states by 2010. The ministers also reviewed the outcome of a number of meetings on human and environment affairs, notably improvement of school curricula, cooperation among Red Crescent associations, establishment of essential port utilities and containment of waste from vessels. 

On political issues, the communiqué expressed the hope that the Iraq-Kuwait case would see positive improvement in light of decisions issued by the 2001 GCC Summit in Oman and the 2002 Arab Summit in Beirut, with Iraq implementing the relevant agreements on detainees and prisoners of war from Kuwait and other countries, the return of Kuwaiti property and a pledge not to repeat the 1990 invasion.

The communiqué recalled the decisions issued by GCC Summits regarding the three UAE islands of Greater and Lesser Tunbs and Abu Moussa that are occupied by Iran, noted the recent visit to Iran by UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Shaikh Hamdan bin Zaid Al-Nahayan and the scheduled visit of Iranian President Muhammad Khatami to the UAE, and expressed the hope for positive results from the exchange of such visits. 

The GCC foreign ministers denounced Israel’s brutal practices and infiltration into Palestinian cities and towns, killing innocent Palestinians and demolishing homes. The communiqué asserted that violence would never serve efforts for peace but would hinder the Palestinian Authority from undertaking its responsibilities. The foreign ministers emphasized that comprehensive, fair and constant peace is a strategic option, and that the initiative presented by Crown Prince Abdullah constitutes a complete basis for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

On the situation between Pakistan and India, the communiqué expressed profound concern at the increase in tension, and called on the two countries to resort to reason, self-control and constraint, and solve their disputes through negotiations and peaceful means.