RIYADH – Plans for a unified railway running across the six states of the GCC topped the agenda of talks between ministers tasked with transport and communications in a meeting which ended here Wednesday. The meeting of the GCC Committee of Transport and Communication Ministers, headed by Saudi Minister of Transport Jabara Al-Suraiseri, was attended by Minister of Communications and Acting Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Salem Al-Othaina on behalf of Kuwait. Each state's – Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman - portion of the railway project and agreement on unified standards of the trains, train tracks and their stations were among a number of proposals that had been agreed upon to be later raised to the committee's next meeting, said Al-Suraiseri. All plans for the project will end in 2013, in time for its completion in 2018, he added. The meeting also discussed other matters namely a concluded meeting of the GCC ports and maritime administrations committee, a project for a GCC transport sector database, sideline meetings between the six states and international economic groups, forming a GCC company for maritime assistance and the Riyadh memorandum of understanding on inspecting and regulating vessels in GCC ports and combating piracy. – KUNA
