Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary General Abdullatif Al-Zayani handed today the Iraqi Charge d'Affaires in Riyadh Ahmad Anwar Abdul-Hameed an official protest over a statement by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry on a recent judicial ruling in Bahrain. The GCC protested remarks by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry on the ruling against a Bahraini citizen who broke the law, the GCC Secretariat said in a statement. It added that the GCC member states expressed deep concern over the Iraqi Foreign Ministry statement which comprised fallacies that violate the established diplomatic norms, and constitute a blatant interference in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain and an encroachment on the Independence of the Bahraini judiciary and national sovereignty, in violation of the Charters of the Arab League and the UN as well as principles of good neighborly. The GCC denounced what the Iraqi statement hinted to as "repercussions on the stability of Bahrain and the region" as an "unconstructive approach that could harm GCC- Iraq ties, running contrary to efforts by the bloc to consolidate security and stability in the region. Meanwhile, the GCC urged the Iraqi government to take firm and decisive measures to end what the Bahraini Interior Ministry repeatedly revealed, namely that terrorist organizations take of the Iraqi soil a base for targeting security and stability of Bahrain and the six-member bloc. The protest note called for an "immediate and final halt of all forms of interference in the affairs of Bahrain or any of the GCC states, under whatever pretext, from Iraqi official or non-official bodies.
