Foreign Ministers Meet ahead of GCC Summit

Gulf foreign ministers meet ahead of the GCC summit.
Gulf foreign ministers meet ahead of the GCC summit.
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Foreign Ministers Meet ahead of GCC Summit

Gulf foreign ministers meet ahead of the GCC summit.
Gulf foreign ministers meet ahead of the GCC summit.

The foreign ministers of member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council held on Sunday a preparatory meeting ahead of the council’s upcoming 41st summit.

The meeting, which was chaired by Bahraini Foreign Minister Dr. Abdul Latif al-Zayani, was held virtually amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The talks covered the agenda of the summit and relevant recommendations on bolstering joint Gulf work in political, economic and social fields. The agenda will also tackle latest regional developments.

The summit is scheduled for January 5.

Sunday’s meeting included the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait. Qatar’s foreign minister was absent. He was represented by the minister of state for foreign affairs.

The Bahraini foreign ministry said that Zayani expressed his “complete confidence in the wise Saudi leadership and its central role in maintaining Gulf unity” and overcoming the current rift among its members.

He hoped that the row would be resolved so that a new phase of dialogue among Gulf countries would be established in order for them to achieve common goals.

He stressed the need to combat terrorism and end all regional conflicts and disputes through peaceful means, international agreements and the principle of good neighborliness.

Earlier this month, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmed Nasser al-Mohammed Al-Sabah revealed that “fruitful” talks have been held to resolve the Gulf rift between Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt with Qatar.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan had stated that resolving the dispute was within reach.

Bahrain will assume the presidency of the GCC in January.



GCC Urges Security Council to Issue Resolution that Ends Genocide of Palestinians 

Gulf officials are seen at the GCC Ministerial Council meeting in Kuwait on Monday. (Saudi Foreign Ministry)
Gulf officials are seen at the GCC Ministerial Council meeting in Kuwait on Monday. (Saudi Foreign Ministry)
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GCC Urges Security Council to Issue Resolution that Ends Genocide of Palestinians 

Gulf officials are seen at the GCC Ministerial Council meeting in Kuwait on Monday. (Saudi Foreign Ministry)
Gulf officials are seen at the GCC Ministerial Council meeting in Kuwait on Monday. (Saudi Foreign Ministry)

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries discussed on Monday regional and international developments, calling on the United Nations Security Council to take a binding decision on under Chapter 7 of its Charter ensuring compliance by Israeli forces with a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

The move would also ensure an end to the “genocide in Gaza and forced displacement of the Palestinian people, the entry of humanitarian aid, and the restoration of normal life” in the coastal enclave, said the GCC Ministerial Council following its 164th session in Kuwait.

The council stressed its support for the Palestinian people in Gaza and its commitment “to easing their suffering, ending the Israeli blockade, opening all crossings for the entry of humanitarian and relief aid and basic needs, and ensuring their continued access.”

It condemned the Israeli authorities' announcement of the establishment of an agency targeting the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.

It stressed its rejection of any attempts to displace the residents of Gaza and the need to respect the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to establish an independent state on their land, warning against any plans aimed at infringing on their inalienable rights.

Moreover, the council held Israel “fully responsible for the ongoing violations and attacks on Gaza, which have resulted in the killing of tens of thousands of civilians, mostly women and children.”

It deemed the attacks “war crimes and crimes against humanity under international humanitarian law,” dismissing Israeli claims that it is acting in self-defense.

The council slammed the practices of the Israeli authorities and their policy of collective punishment against the residents of Gaza, calling on the international community to take the necessary measures to counter such actions.

The council stressed its support for the efforts of the international coalition to implement the two-state solution, and its support for Saudi Arabia’s efforts, in partnership with Norway and the European Union, to set a timetable for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and end the Israeli occupation.

It underlined the importance of participation in the high-level international conference to reach a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue and implement the two-state solution, scheduled to be held at the United Nations headquarters in New York in June and co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France.

The council underscored the centrality of the Palestinian issue, the end of the Israeli occupation, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital in line with the Arab Peace Initiative and international resolutions.

It stressed support for the sovereignty of the Palestinian people over all occupied Palestinian territories, and emphasized “the need to intensify cooperation with international and regional powers and redouble the efforts of the international community to resolve the conflict in a manner that fulfils all the legitimate rights of the brotherly Palestinian people.”

The Ministerial Council called on all countries to take the necessary measures to recognize the State of Palestine and support the national rights of the Palestinian people.

It also stressed “the importance of national reconciliation to restore Palestinian national unity and bring about unity to achieve the interests of the Palestinian people.”

Furthermore, it called on the international community “to intervene to stop the targeting of the Palestinian presence in the city of Jerusalem, the expulsion of Palestinians from their homes, attempts to change its legal and historical character, its demographic composition, and the arrangements related to Islamic holy sites, and attempts to impose Israeli sovereignty over it in clear violation of international law, international resolutions, and existing agreements concluded in this regard.”

It highlighted the importance of the statement of the Extraordinary Arab Summit (Palestine Summit) regarding the deployment of international protection and peacekeeping forces in the Palestinian territories in Gaza and the West Bank, pursuant to a Security Council resolution.

It also welcomed the reform measures taken by the Palestinian leadership and the appointment of Hussain Al-Sheikh as Vice President of the State of Palestine and Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization.