Staff Reporter
MORE conflicts in the Middle East could lead to an ‘out-of-control’ security crisis, HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani warned the 28th GCC summit in Doha yesterday.
Citing causes, including the Iranian nuclear programme, he reminded all the parties concerned that the situation cannot endure more pressure.
The rulers of the other five GCC member states and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a special invitee, attended the opening session at the Sheraton.
HH the Emir listed armies and fleets mobilised in the Gulf waters, the conditions in Iraq and their threat to the Arab homeland, the growing forms of worry in Pakistan, the dormant terrorist cells, the Palestinian issue, and the occupation of the Golan and Shabaa farms as the other causes for the crisis.
He said that the summit was being held in a climate of grave dangers “threatening our homelands, the region and the world.”
“They are dangers that not only affect security but also the means of progress, the levels of production, standards of living and welfare and all aspects of life in today’s world,” he said while observing that security and development were two faces of the same coin.
Stating that the oil wealth of the Gulf region play an active and effective role in the international markets in the West and the East, he observed that the region deserves to be kept secure, peaceful and prosperous in the interest of humanity at large.
“Though we realise that the risk-fraught crises have their causes and backgrounds we wish at the same time that all those concerned with regional and international affairs reconsider their positions before it is too late,” he said.
HH the Emir cautioned that the “disputable claims are not served by rushing to mutual intimidation and hatred campaigns that provoke anger and deepen suspicions, or by taking uncalculated risks that lead to unwanted consequences”.
“We have also to realise that the new tools of world politics, its conventions and institutions, including the UN’s specialised agencies, unconditional and unrestricted dialogue, and careful assessment of the consequences before being driven by instincts are all factors that help reconsideration and avoidance of evils,” he said.
HH the Emir believed that the GCC’s achievements, though important, were still less than the expectations of the people.
“We are, therefore, called upon to double the efforts to realise those expectations, since we do not lack the potentials nor the abilities,” he suggested.
The Emir called for further attention on scientific research though the GCC countries have realised high development rates in various fields.
He described scientific research as one of the main basics, not only of sustainable development, but also of progress in its comprehensive sense.
“Real progress requires that we become a source of knowledge in its various aspects, capable of developing it and not be mere consumers,” he said.
Maintaining these gains and proceeding to realise ambitions require utilising all the efforts that guarantee peace, security and stability on the basis of peaceful co-existence and mutual respect.
“This represents a true wish of all countries of the region, including those located on the Gulf,” he said.
Pointing out that the agenda of the summit includes a number of political, economic and security issues, HH the Emir expressed the hope that resolutions, that would achieve the aspirations and ambitions of the people, would be taken.
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