Jeddah, Shawwal 13, 1432, Sep 11, 2011, SPA — Foreign Ministers of Gulf Cooperation Council Concluded this evening in Jeddah their 120th ministerial session.
A press release was issued at the end of the meeting.
The press release contained the ministers’ positions on issues covering joint cooperation, human and environment affairs, peaceful use of nuclear energy, views of the Consultative Commission of the Supreme Council, fighting terrorism, relations with Iran, the Iranian nuclear file, the current Arab situation including the Palestinian issue and the Arab-Israeli conflict as well as the Yemeni, Iraqi, Syrian, Libyan, Lebanese, Sudanese, South Sudanese and Somali issues.
In the fight against terrorism, the Council affirmed the positions of the GCC member States to renounce terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, whatever the motives and justifications, and whatever its source. The Council also noted its efforts to give effect to the relevant decisions in this area, supporting all regional and international efforts aimed at combating terrorism and calling on the international community to activate the call by the states of the Council to establish an international center to combat terrorism, to exchange information and expertise, and coordinate among States to monitor and control the movement of organizations and terrorist elements and thwart their plans.
Concerning relations with Iran, the Ministerial Council reviewed the relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and reiterated the importance of adhering to basic principles of relations between the two sides, the principles of good neighborliness, mutual respect, noninterference in internal affairs, peaceful settlement of disputes and non-use or threat of force, expressing deep concern for the continuation of provocative statements by Iranian officials and media about a number of countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council which is a breach of the rules of good neighborliness and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and calling on Iran to halt these statements and media campaigns that do not serve to improve relations between the two sides and achieve security and stability in the region.
On the Iranian nuclear file, the Ministerial Council followed the Iranian nuclear issue with great concern, reaffirming its steadfast position on the importance of adherence to the principles of international legitimacy, resolving conflicts by peaceful means, making the Middle East, including the Arab Gulf region, free of weapons of mass destruction and nuclear weapons, welcoming efforts made by the group (5 +1), to resolve the Iranian nuclear crisis through peaceful means, and expressing hope that Iran will respond to these efforts.
The Council affirmed the right of countries in the region to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes under the relevant international convention, and according to the standards and procedures of the International Atomic Energy Agency and under its supervision, and applying these standards to all countries in the region, including Israel, with full transparency, and stressing the necessity of Israel’s joining of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and placing all its nuclear facilities under international inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
