GCC Summit reaffirms commitment to unity

The 38th Gulf Co-operation Council Summit, which ended in Kuwait onTuesday, expressed the bloc’s commitment to unity and keenness to attainfurther co-ordination and integration across all domains.In its final communique carried by Kuwait News Agency, the session saidthe six member-nations’ leaders were committed to the GCC’s goals andwere convinced that the bloc serves their peoples’ hopes andaspirations.They reiterated support of proposals, including late Saudi King Abdullahbin Abdulaziz al-Saud’s aim, to transform the bloc from a council to aunion, build a joint defence mechanism and for economic integration.Separately, the session expressed “extreme condemnation” of the Houthiattacks on the holy city of Makkah and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, theformer by Iranian-made ballistic missiles.It described the Houthi group’s recent killing of Yemen’s former leaderAli Abdallah Saleh as a “tragic development,” saying GCC leaders arefollowing up on the matter with “anxiety.”Iran’s destabilising activities and intervention in the internal affairsof neighbouring nations, its support of “terrorist groups” in Bahrainand occupation of the UAE’s three islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunband Abu Musa were also condemned.The GCC underlined that Iran should cease its support of terroristgroups that have a destabilising impact on the region, particularly theGulf.The attending delegations also expressed support of the agreement signedbetween the six-nation GCC and the US, which aims to block the fundingof terrorism through the launch of a centre with the goal.The summit also condemned the deadly attack on a mosque in Egypt’s Al-Arish in northern Sinae.On Palestinian affairs, the document reiterated support of Palestinianstatehood with a capital of Jerusalem, according to the 1967 borders,the Arab Peace Initiative and international laws.It also rejected Israeli practices that breach international rules andregulations and aim to alter the legal, diplomatic or political statusof Jerusalem.The Supreme Council welcomed the generous initiative of Kuwait to hostan international donor conference in 2018 to support the stability andreconstruction of liberated areas in Iraq from the so-called Daesh.It called for a positive international co-operation in this conferenceand to assert the importance of refugees return to their homeland underthe international organisations concerned in co-ordination with theIraqi government.The Supreme Council directed the Secretariat to begin preparations for acomprehensive strategic dialogue to develop the GCC’s relations withIraq in all political, security, economic, cultural and other fields. On Syria, the Supreme Council affirmed its firm positions andresolutions on the Syrian crisis and the Geneva resolution, and SecurityCouncil resolution 2254 which provides for the establishment of aTransitional Authority for the administration of the country, thedrafting of a new constitution for Syria and the preparation ofelections for a new future for the Syrian people.The Supreme Council welcomed the results of the second expanded meetingof the Revolutionary Forces and the Syrian opposition held in Riyadhlast November, which united positions of the opposition parties and theestablishment of a negotiating team to the Geneva meeting to contributeto achieving the aspirations of the brotherly Syrian people.The final communique stressed its support for the mediation of the United Nations and its envoy to Syria, Stefan de Mistura.The Supreme Council stressed the importance of working on the return ofrefugees and displaced Syrians to their cities and villages underinternational supervision and rejected any attempt to bring aboutdemographic changes in Syria.On Lebanon, the Supreme Council affirmed the GCC’s positions on theimportance of maintaining stability of Lebanon, reiterating itscommitment to Lebanon’s security, stability and territorial integrityand supporting its efforts in confronting the so-called Daesh and otherterrorist organisations.The Supreme Council affirmed its rejection of the role of Iran andHezbollah’s terrorist organisation in destabilising Lebanon, weakeningits political and security institutions, breaking up national unity andfuelling sectarian conflicts.The Supreme Council reiterated its keenness on the security, stabilityand unity of the Libyan territories and supporting the efforts exertedto confront the so-called Daesh and other terrorist organisations.The Council stressed its support for the role of the United Nations inreaching a political solution to the Libyan crisis, praising the effortsof Dr Ghassan Salama, the UN Secretary-General’s envoy to achieve this.On the issue of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, the Supreme Councilcondemned the ethnic cleansing, massacres and brutal attacks against theRohingya Muslims in the Republic of Myanmar, their expulsion from theirhomes and the systematic destruction of their villages, reiterating itscall on the international community to condemn these policies and acturgently to stop these acts.The Supreme Council expressed its deep appreciation and gratitude to theEmir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah for the warm welcome andhospitality, expressing satisfaction for the next convention of thesummit in Oman next year.