GCC backs the UAE over islands issue

The Gulf Cooperation Council has pledged full backing to the United Arab Emirates in its conflict with Iran over three islands in the Gulf. It called for responding to the calls for achieving a peaceful solution.

This GCC stand has annoyed Iran's government which considered it as "unimpartial and unacceptable."

The GCC foreign ministers set up a committee in their meeting on Saturday, including Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia, in order to prepare for negotiations over the islands of Greater Tanb, Lesser Tanb and Abu Mousa, which are controlled by Iran and claimed by the UAE.

A statement released at the conclusion of the meeting said the committee intends to draw up a mechanism to start direct negotiations and to settle the question of Iran's occupation of the three UAE islands by peaceful means. It added that besides the representatives of the three GCC states, the secretary general of the GCC, Jamil Hujeilan, will be a member of the committee which will submit a report a report on the results of its contacts to the leaders of the GCC states at the consultation meeting to be held in Riyadh in May 2000.

The Jeddah's meeting also asserted the importance of "maintaining good relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran" on the grounds of good neighborhood, mutual respect and preserving mutual interests, non-intervention in internal affairs, not resorting to use of force in settling disputes but using dialogue and peaceful means.