Hollande: France, GCC working on Mideast security

French President Francois Hollande said Tuesday that his country and the GCC states are working towards ensuring security in the Middle East.

Hollande, who spoke to reporter in Riyadh after attending a GCC summit on the current situation in the region, said his country is seeking to help spread peace and security in the region.

The French leader became the first western head of state to attend a GCC summit since the bloc’s inception in 1981.

During the press conference, Hollande said the security of the Arab world is tantamount to the world security and the dangers of terrorism threaten all countries.

The French leader also said that his country is working on continuing a strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia and that his visit to the Kingdom tasks France with an important role in security in the region.

Speaking about Iran, Hollande said that any deal with the Islamic republic must impair it from developing a nuclear weapon.

Saudi Arabia invited Hollande, whose country is deemed to have the toughest stance among the six world powers negotiating with Iran, to Riyadh to discuss regional issues with Gulf Arab leaders.

Closing statements

Also on Tuesday, in a closing statement after the summit, the GCC reiterated that all states bear responsibility to restore stability to Yemen.

It also said that France fully supports the Arab coalition’s operations in the war-torn country.

Regarding the Syrian conflict, the statement said that a political solution in Syria would answer the demand of the Syrian people and that Riyadh would hold a conference on post-Assad Syria.

The statement also said that the normalization of relations between the GCC and Iran is based on principle of non-intervention in the region.