Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector-General Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz arrived in Dubai today to attend the 18th meeting of the Defense Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). At a press conference after visiting the Dubai International Aviation Exhibition, Prince Sultan reiterated the Kingdom's desire to develop the Al-Jazeera Shield. He referred to the exhibition as one not just for the United Arab Emirates, but for all the GCC member states, and as providing a good opportunity to view military equipment.

Addressing the conference, GCC Secretary-General Jameel Bin Ibrahim Al-Hujeilan expressed the hope that the meeting will strengthen military cooperation among the member states, which, he said, is proceeding well, notably in the area of communications and early warning systems. On the agenda is the signing of a joint GCC defense agreement.
Meanwhile, in an interview published today in Al-Riyadh newspaper, Prince Sultan spoke of the Kingdom's concern to modernize its military capabilities, and referred to joint Saudi-U.S. economic ventures that are part of the offset program.
Other issues covered in the interview included the Saudi-Yemeni border demarcation, which Prince Sultan said he hoped would soon be finalized; and relations between the GCC and Iran, which he said are good, with hopes of settling the problem of the three islands through peaceful means.

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