Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs, delivered a press statement at the outset of a joint press conference with the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani following the end of the 14th Consultative Meeting of GCC Leaders. Prince Saud Al-Faisal said 'The GCC leaders have reviewed a report by the specialized commission entrusted with studying proposals on the transition of the GCC from the stage of cooperation into union. They have agreed on a proposal of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud allowing the Ministerial Council to complete studying the report by the specialized commission and submitting its recommendations to a summit meeting of the Supreme Council to be held in Riyadh.' 'The GCC leaders discussed the political developments in the region, including the recent Iranian provocative acts in the occupied UAE islands. They also reviewed the developments in Syria in light of the escalating killings in addition to the current efforts of the joint envoy of the Arab League and the United Nations. The GCC leaders also addressed a number of issues relating to the march of GCC joint action, and discussed means of following-up the implementation of related decisions,' Prince Saud Al-Faisal said. For his part, GCC Secretary General Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani said 'the consultative meeting of GCC leaders was constructive and the outcomes of the meeting will be reflected positively on the joint cooperation march among GCC countries'. 'As regards the joint security, including the amended security agreement, the GCC leaders have authorized the GCC Interior Ministers to sign the agreement in their next meeting,' Dr. Al-Zayani said, adding that GCC leaders were briefed by Bahrain's Foreign Minister on the visit by the Crown Prince of Bahrain to the United States. 'The GCC leaders welcomed the results of this visit, especially the U.S. decision of lifting the arms embargo against the Kingdom of Bahrain,' Dr. Al-Zayani said. GCC Secretary General also said that it was agreed to provide grants for a period of five years to support the development projects in Jordan and Morocco, adding that the decisions and steps taken by Yemen's President Abd Rabo Mansour Hadi to implement the GCC initiative were welcomed. Responding to questions from reporters, Prince Saud Al-Faisal stressed that in order to ensure proper functioning and have clear understanding, it has been decided that the transition from cooperation to union will be presented to the Extraordinary Conference, provided that the committee completes studying the issue. 'Iran's threat is clear, I don't think it hides the threat. Therefore, as I mentioned, this issue was discussed, but not in the context of Saudi-Bahraini relations. Any threat in this context is unacceptable and rejected. Iran has nothing to do with procedures taken by GCC countries, even if such procedures led to union. Iran is free to seek union with whom it wishes. We hope that it shows good-neighborliness that we seek,' Prince Saud Al-Faisal said. Regarding the current situation in Syria, Prince Saud Al-Faisal said 'the confidence in the efforts exerted by the envoy of the United Nations and the Arab League began to decline in light of the continued fighting, violence and bloodshed.' Regarding accusations by the Syrian media that the GCC countries are intervening in Syria's internal affairs, Prince Saud Al-Faisal said 'as long as the Syrian media does not show the real situation in Syria, there is no doubt that it accuses other countries. Such accusations are unfair.' Answering a question about terrorism in Yemen, the Minister of Foreign Affairs said 'Terrorism is everywhere and it is an international responsibility. So, there should be a cooperation to address it. As for us, we are cooperating with everyone to face it. We are also coordinating with Yemen to help it be free from terrorism.' On the reason for the establishment of the GCC Union, Prince Saud Al-Faisal said 'It is for addressing issues not solved yet.' Answering a question about the Iranian president's visit to the UAE islands, he said 'If Iran is looking forward to relations with the GCC member states, it should not consider such relations without solving this problem. We follow the wise policy of the UAE in this regard, which does not seek a military solution, but a political one that is reached through understanding. All GCC member states are supporting this trend.'
