GCC foreign ministers this evening concluded a coordinatory meeting for the 19th GCC/Euro conference scheduled for tomorrow in the Omani capital of Muscat. In a statement following the meeting, Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al-Atiyyah, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), said the meeting focused on the overall agenda of tomorrow's conference, most important of which are the situation in the Middle East, Iraq, Iranian file, terrorism, sea piracy, human rights, climate change and international financial crisis. In response to a question, he said "we encourage cooperation between private sectors of the two sides". He said the GCC ministers also discussed ways to activate a joint cooperation agreement signed between the GCC and European sides in 1988, which covers, among other things, transfer of technology, education, scientific research, energy, industry, agriculture, fishing and standards and quality. In this regard, Al-Atiyyah underscored the importance of "constitutional cooperation" between the member countries of the GCC and European Union.
