Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and

Aviation and Inspector-General, is currently on a friendly tour of the member states of the

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).  In a press conference in Manama today he discussed the

GCC's progress as continuing to serve the Muslim world as well as the peoples of the Gulf,

and "to be a model for others". He added that the GCC works for the benefit of its member

states in a way that does not conflict with Islam or with Arab values. To a question on

relations with Iran, he said that the Kingdom's view is that Iran is a friendly country

that is the GCC's neighbor, and the goal should always be to seek what is good for both

sides.

At a press conference in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, Prince Sultan reiterated that Saudi Arabia

supports all GCC resolutions, and confirmed that there are no differences of opinion among

the member states, all of which, he said, are "cooperative and disciplined, and support

each other's interests". He went on to refer to the establishment of the tripartite

committee to effect a mechanism for starting negotiations with Iran over the UAE's three

islands as a "practical step" initiated by the GCC leaders, and expressed the hope that

Iran "would respond positively to this prudent and good trend".

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