Gulf states to discuss the governing council at the Arab League
Gulf-Iraq, Politics, 9/9/2003

The council of the ministers of the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) yesterday concluded their ordinary session in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in a statement that voiced support for the Iraqi governing council and the Iraqi interim council but without recognizing them as a legitimate representative for Iraq.

It said that this matter will be decided by the Arab League which was expected to take a report to this effect in the meetings of its ministerial council in Cairo yesterday.

The GCC ministerial council welcomed the resolution of the UN security council number 1500 which considered the formation of the governing council and the government as "a positive step." It hoped that this will lead to "speedy formation of a constitutional government which ensures Iraq's security, independence and territorial integrity and equality in rights and duties for the Iraqi people."

The council expressed "its concern over the absence of security and instability in Iraq," but without tackling the issue of sending peace keeping forces to Iraq. The council called for hurrying to "deal with the Iraqi issue in all its aspects and restore normal life to its people and giving the UN a pivotal political, economic and security role in preserving security and stability in Iraq," calling on the UN security council and specialized international organizations to "restore back what was stolen of historical, and people's heritage to the Iraqi people."

The GCC includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.

Qatar's foreign minister Hamad Bin Jasem Bin Jaber al-Thani whose country presides over the GCC council said that discussing Iraq's representation "is to be left to the Arab League," adding that "there were view points but we have reached a common view point concerning the Iraqi issue and recognizing its government and we can not declare them because we will debate it with other Arab foreign ministers in their meeting in Cairo tomorrow."

He said he describes this view point as "positive and we can not say more than that." The council deplored also the two explosions which targeted the UN headquarters in Baghdad and Imam Ali mosque in al-Najaf and found in it an attempt "to destabilize the situation in Iraq and undermine the unity of the Iraqi people."

On the other hand, the GCC member states called "on all Palestinian groups to unify their ranks and avoid matters conducive to the occurrence of split among the Palestinian people." The council held Israel responsible for the deterioration of condition and called on it "to stop the policies of assassination and the policy of violence and breaking into cities and demolishing houses." The council also called for dispatching separating international forces between the two sides. It urged the international community to pressure Israel in order to implement the roadmap.

Previous Stories:
  Gulf states calls for the foundation of a central Iraqi national government   (6/18/2003)
  Al-Ateyah: Iraq can join the GCC   (5/27/2003)
  Gulf economics to be affected by the likely war against Iraq   (3/17/2003)

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