Gulf states discusses reforming the Arab league
Gulf-Regional, Politics, 3/1/2004

Foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states resumed their ministerial meeting yesterday in Riyadh. In two sessions they had held on Saturday, the ministers discussed plans to reform the Arab League and develop its mechanism in order to debate it to its ministerial council to be held in Cairo today ( Monday).

The secretary general of the council, Abdul Rahman al-Ateyah, said that ministers discussed issues on joint cooperation. The meeting's agenda includes also economic issues, the Palestinian question, the dispute between the United Arab Emirates and Iran over the three strategic islands. and the question of terrorism.

The GCC meeting comes one day before the beginning of the Arab foreign ministers starting their meetings in Cairo to prepare the way for making structural reforms to the AL before convening the AL summit on march 29 and 30 in Tunisia.

Al-Ateyah said that the ministers did not deal with the American reform plan known as " the Greater Middle East initiative."

Both Saudi Arabia and Egypt rejected in joint statement the American plan following a visit made by the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to Riyadh. Mubarak also on Wednesday disclosed a joint Syrian, Egyptian Saudi joint project to reform the Arab League and criticized the American and European initiatives for political and democratic reform in the Middle East.

Mubarak said "one who thinks that it is possible to impose solutions or reforms from outside on any society or region is delusional."

Previous Stories:
  Gulf summits denounces terrorism, presses ahead with economic unity   (12/23/2003)
  Gulf states to discuss US threats against Iraq   (8/24/2002)
  GCC special ministerial session to be held on Wednesday in al-Riyadh   (5/10/2002)

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