GCC summit addresses joint policy on Iran

Gulf foreign ministers meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Monday said the Gulf Cooperation Council’s relationship with Iran should be based on mutual respect and non-interference.

“The ministerial council underscored anew the importance of building good relations between the GCC and Iran on the bases of respect of sovereignty of each country on its soil, non-interference in internal affairs, the respect of good neighborhood principles, and refrain from using force or threatening with it,” Saudi Arabia’s state news agency SPA reported.

The council expressed hope that Iran and Western powers will reach a final solution to the dispute on Iran’s nuclear program “in a way that guarantees a peaceful use of nuclear energy for Iran … and would never transfer at any of its phases into a military orientation.”

Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khalid al-Hamad al-Sabah said at the opening of a GCC summit that Iran should address issues of mutual concern to ultimately strengthen stability and security of Gulf region.

“The global community must have a unified position on Iran’s nuclear program, to ensure Tehran's full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and relevant U.N. resolutions,” said Sheikh Sabah, who chaired the group’s first meeting before foreign ministers gathered for a closed-door meeting.

The GCC is hoping that Iran's new policies would “positively impact its relations with the GCC countries in a drive to address tension to strengthen the security and stability in this vital region,” said Sheikh Sabah.

The senior Kuwaiti official also emphasized the GCC’s stance on the ongoing Syrian crisis, and urged the international community to end the conflict in Syria and for the urgent delivery of humanitarian assistance throughout the war-torn country, as well as an international investigation into war crimes committed there, according to UAE state news agency WAM.

He also praised the recent elections in Egypt and said he hoped they would enhance the nation’s strategic regional and international role, also praising the recent reconciliation by Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas.