Syria told to stop its killing machine JEDDAH — The Gulf Cooperation Council on Sunday discussed a five-year economic development plan for Jordan and Morocco, which both hope to join, officials said. The six GCC foreign ministers met their counterparts from Jordan and Morocco to consider “a five-year economic development plan to support Jordan,” said Amman's Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh. “This plan also applies to Morocco,” GCC chief Abdulatif Al-Zayani told reporters after the meeting, the first to include the Jordanian and Moroccan ministers since a GCC decision in May to consider accepting the two countries into the regional alliance. “A working group was formed to study the procedures for accession of Jordan to the GCC,” said Judeh, who added “there is no timetable” for accession. “Discussions will continue,” he said. His Moroccan counterpart Taeib Fassi Fihri said his country was “anxious to have good relations and strong cooperation with the GCC.” Zayani said the GCC ministers also discussed the situation in Yemen, where President Ali Abdullah Saleh has so far refused to sign a plan by the alliance. He said the plan, which calls for Saleh to hand over power to his deputy, was “still on the table,” and that the GCC hoped for “an agreement.” Zayani also welcomed the new authorities who took power in Libya after ousting Muammar Gaddafi. “We call for the restoration of security and stability, as well as for tolerance and the opening of a new page” in Libya, he said. The GCC also urged Syria to immediately stop its “killing machine” against anti-regime protesters, and reiterated its demand for serious reforms. The foreign ministers issued a statement calling for “an immediate end to the killing machine” in Syria. The group also urged “the immediate implementation of serious reforms that meet the aspirations of the Syrian” people. On ties with Iran, the GCC reiterated the importance of refraining from interfering in internal affairs and solving differences peacefully.
