Iraq should be part of GCC, says Al Hakim

Manama: Iraq should be invited to join the Gulf Cooperation Council, Ammar Al Hakim, the leader of the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council, Iraq's biggest Shiite party, has said.

"Iraq is currently focusing on the unity of its people and the integrity of its territories. It is also working on national reconciliation and cohesion. A stable and unified Iraq will resume its Arab role in bridging gaps and contributing to Arab development and I believe that joining the Gulf Cooperation Council will allow Iraq to regain its Arab role among its Arab brothers," Al Hakim said in Manama.

"We want to explain and prove to our Arab brothers that the Iraqi project is in harmony with the Arabs and is fully in line with the visions and aims of the Arabs."

Al Hakim, on a short visit to Bahrain, said that Arab states should do more to help the Iraqis.

"We believe that Arab states should answer the call of the Iraqi people and support their just causes. Intervention should be in support of the Iraqi people and not of one side. Arab states should also play a greater role in supporting Iraq and contributing to its development and resolving its problems, especially that regional relations are not well balanced following the diminishing of an Arab role," he said in remarks published by the Al Bilad daily.

Most GCC members have restored diplomatic relations with Baghdad after an initially frosty approach to the government of Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki, but have resisted calls, mainly from the Bush administration, to tie Iraq to the GCC.