GCC: Israel escapes Middle East peace requirements, Iraqi problem cannot be solved by force
Gulf-United Arab Emirates, Politics, 3/15/1999

United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Rashid Abdullah al-Nu'eimi has called for resuming the peace process on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks from the point at which they broke off so as to achieve a tangible peace conducive to establishing a just and comprehensive peace.

In an inaugural speech at the first session of the meetings of the 70th session of the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council at the headquarters of the GCC in Riyadh, al-Nu'eimi said that Israel continuously places obstacles in order to escape its obligations, and stressed the GCC's call on the Middle East peace process' sponsors, the US and Russia as well as the European Union to exert more efforts in order to ensure the continuity of the Middle East peace process and the complete implementation of the Israel-Palestinian agreements and to continue serious efforts to reach the final status negotiations including key issues, foremost being the question of Jerusalem, Israeli settlements, Palestinian refugees and the final status of the occupied Palestinian territories.

Concerning the situation in Iraq, the UAE foreign minister, whose country is currently presiding over the GCC session, praised the new initiative made by Iraq in contacting the international committee formed recently by the UN Security Council to investigate Iraqi disarmament.

Al-Nu'eimi said, "We hope this initiative will be a start for a new dialogue between Iraq and the UN that will be conducive to lifting the sanctions imposed on the "brotherly people of Iraq," who have suffered a lot.

Al-Nu'eimi stressed that the GCC member states support the lifting of the sufferings of the Iraqi people as a result of the embargo on humanitarian considerations.

He added: "We see that the Iraqi crisis cannot be solved by means of using force, rather through diplomatic and political logic so as to ensure the security and stability of the region and the safety of the Iraqi territories."

He continued, "The recent military developments do not serve this very objective, and also escalate tension in the region."

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