Gulf states suggest return of UN; diplomacy ends crisis with Iraq
Gulf-Iraq, Politics, 9/4/2002

The Gulf states (GCC) on Tuesday urged an end to talking about war, stressing that only through diplomacy would Washington's confrontation with Iraq end.

The Omani minister of state for foreign affairs Youssef Bin Alawi said that the GCC member states and other countries can achieve a lot in solving problems of that kind if the language of power is halted or decreased. He said "the GCC states and the Arab states will do all their best to prevent a war against Iraq." He added that the "USA is a friend for the Arab states and we do hope that it ( the US) will listen to her friends advice in this regard."

As for the mass destruction weapons, Bin Alawi said "we are all for destruction of mass annihilation weapons," in an implicit remark to the Israeli nuclear weapons.

The Omani minister whose country currently presides over the GCC said that Iraq has to abide by UN resolutions, and the return of the UN inspectors, who left the country in 1998..

However, in their final statement, the GCC foreign minister called for the return back of UN inspectors, stressing that the GCC "rejects any military acts against any Arab or Muslim country including Iraq." The council "denounced the deliberate campaign launched by western mass media against Saudi Arabia. The statement said that this campaign aims at "drawing an image in contrary to the balanced and moderate policy of Saudi Arabia in its international relations and in dealing with events."

The Gulf foreign ministers discussed the issue of Iraq and the confrontations between Israel and the Palestinians on Monday evening during their meeting with the Danish minister of foreigna affairs Per Stig Moller who is promoting an EU peace plan for the ME.

On the other hand, Kuwait renewed its objection to directing a military attack against Iraq. Kuwait's Minister of State For Foreign Affairs, Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, following the first session of the GCC ministerial council in Jeddah said that "Kuwait rejects any military action against Iraq but simultaneously calls for Iraq's implementation of the international resolutions," issued following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

Previous Stories:
  Iraq has good relations with most Arab Gulf states, minister says   (1/10/2002)
  Iraq threatens Kuwait and Saudi Arabia   (2/20/2001)
  Conditions in Iraq and cooperation with Iran before the Gulf summit   (12/15/2000)

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