ShareRIYADH: Foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Member States have renewed their support for the UNSCR N. 2107 of 2013 -the referral of the file of the prisoners, missing persons, Kuwaiti property, and the National Archives to the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
Speaking at the conclusion of the 153rd session of the GCC Ministerial Council which was held in Riyadh, the foreign ministers urged Iraq to continue cooperating with Kuwait to ensure progress in these matters. They also called on Iraq and the UN to make maximum efforts in order to reach a solution toward these files, as well as to work towards the completion of the demarcation of the maritime borders beyond mark 162.
On the latest developments in Iraq, the foreign ministers reiterated their call for preserving the territorial integrity, full sovereignty, Arab identity and the national unity of Iraq. The members also expressed support for Iraqi measures to counter terrorist groups and armed militias and enforce the rule of law calling for the de-escalation of the situation in Iraq and to prioritize dialogue and national interests over any other considerations to defuse the current tension which threatens Iraq's stability.
On the Palestinian cause, the Ministerial Council affirmed the firm positions of the GCC states on the Palestinian cause, calling it an Arab and Muslim issue as well and extended their support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Al Quds (Jerusalem) as its capital.
The council also underlined the need for guaranteeing the rights of refugees, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative, the two-state solution and relevant international legitimacy resolutions. It also called on the international community and influential countries to exert more efforts to resume the peace process and negotiations between the Zionist entity and the Palestinian side. On Syria, the Ministerial Council renewed the calls for preserving its territorial integrity, respecting its independence and sovereignty as well as meeting the aspirations of the Syrian people.
It stressed its support for the efforts of the United Nations to reach a political solution in Syria, in accordance with Security Council Resolution No. 2254 and the principles of the Geneva 1 statement. It also backed the efforts of its Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, hoping that the meetings of the Constitutional Committee in Syria would result in a quick consensus. On Lebanon, the Ministerial Council expressed the GCC's unwavering solidarity with the Lebanese people to achieve everything that would preserve Lebanon's security and stability.
The Council also voiced support to the Lebanese Armed Forces, urging all political groups in Lebanon to work on achieving the aspirations of the Lebanese people for stability, progress, prosperity and in implementing the necessary reforms, combating corruption and in fighting mismanagement issues. It also stressed the need to ensure that, Lebanon would not be a springboard for any terrorist acts or an incubator for terrorist organizations and groups that target the security and stability of Lebanon and the region and that it is not a source for drug smuggling activities.
On Libya, the Ministerial Council expressed its concern over the recent clashes in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, calling on the Libyan parties to exercise restraint and calm and to give priority to the supreme national interest, stressing the need to preserve the ceasefire agreement and prevent the outbreak of a new wave of violence. With regards to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the Ministerial Council stated that the water security of Sudan and Egypt is an integral part of the Arab national security. It expressed rejection to any act that encroaches upon or threatens their rights of the River Nile waters.
The Council also expressed its backing for all efforts aimed at resolving the dispute over the GERD, in a way that guarantee the interests of all the concerned parties. On relations with Iran, the Ministerial Council urged the Islamic Republic to show commitment to the principles based on the United Nations Charter and international law on relations between states, including the principles of good neighborliness, respect for state sovereignty, non-interference in internal affairs, resolution of disputes by peaceful means, not using or threatening force and rejecting terrorism and sectarianism. It stressed that negotiations with Iran should tackle its destabilizing behavior in the region, its sponsorship of terrorism and sectarian militias, its missile program and the safety of international navigation and oil facilities.
The Council also emphasized the need for the GCC states to participate in those negotiations and all regional and international discussions and meetings related to this matter. It reiterated the GCC's firm position rejecting the continued occupation by Iran of the three Emirati islands; the Greater and Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa and affirmed support for the sovereignty of the UAE over its three islands, its territorial waters, the airspace, the continental shelf and the special economic zone, which is a part of the territory of the UAE adding that it considered any practices or actions carried out by Iran in the three islands to be void and having no effect on the right of the sovereignty of the UAE over its three islands. The Ministerial Council also called on Iran to respond to the efforts of the UAE to resolve the issue through direct negotiations or resort to the International Court of Justice. - KUNA
