Gulf Cooperation Council summit opens today

Will deliberate on political, economic, security, social issues

Three decades after it came into being, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) session begins here on Monday to take a collective view on political, economic, security and social issues of the six-member States.

The summit is being hosted by the United Arab Emirates under its President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The Foreign Ministers' meet here on Sunday night will finalise the programme, while reviewing draft decisions and recommendations to be put up for discussions at the two-day meeting of the Supreme Council.

Ahead of the event, GCC general secretary Abdul Rahman bin Hamad al Attiya was quoted by a news agency describing the summit as a turning point in the GCC joint action in all domains.

Besides, the hosts, the GCC consists of Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar.

At the conclusion of the previous Kuwait Summit, the Council, among other things, reiterated its stand on the importance of following international legality and underscored its stance aimed at rendering the West Asia region free of nuclear arms.

Nuclear dossier

A reference came on the Iranian nuclear dossier, with the Council hailing the international efforts aimed at solving Iranian nuclear crisis through diplomatic means. It hoped all sides will reach a political settlement that will eliminate fears and doubts on the nature of the dossier and bring about peace and stability in the region while guaranteeing the right of the countries of the region to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes within the framework of international agreements under the International Atomic Energy Agency procedures.

On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said his country endorsed the establishment of a fully monitored international fuel bank that could provide enriched uranium for atomic power plants. In his remarks at the annual security conference in Bahrain, he said Iran was not developing atomic weapons and in principle stood opposed to all forms of weapons of mass destruction.

Beside this, the meeting will discuss issues including progress on railway network and power grid in the region, the common currency area in which two countries, including the UAE, hold different views.

The formal summit will be held at the Emirates Palace that will be inaugurated late Monday night and conclude on Tuesday. Resolutions are expected, outlining the economic and development agenda for the region.