Faisal, Foreign Minister, and Ahmad Al-Mahmood, Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, arrive to attend the GCC meeting in Doha, Tuesday. — Reuters DOHA — Gulf Arab states Tuesday condemned as a “provocation” a visit by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to United Arab Emirates' Abu Musa Island and said it would support Abu Dhabi's effort to regain control over it. “We condemn Ahmadinejad's visit and consider it provocative and a violation of the UAE's sovereignty over these islands. It contradicts peaceful attempts from GCC countries to find a solution,” said a statement issued after a meeting of foreign ministers of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council. The meeting was convened by the UAE. Ahmadinejad made a rare visit last week to Abu Musa, one of three Gulf islands also claimed by the UAE and located near oil shipping routes at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz. “We assure our solidarity with the UAE in supporting any step it would take to regain its rights and sovereignty over the occupied island,” said the GCC statement. The UAE has recalled its ambassador from Tehran for consultations, and also canceled a friendly soccer match with Iran's national team, in response to the “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty. UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Al-Nahayan Monday urged Tehran to agree to talks or international arbitration. Earlier this week, Sheikh Abdullah met ambassadors representing UN Security Council member states in Abu Dhabi to convey the “UAE's condemnation of this provocative visit.”
