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Region on brink of explosion, says Saudi King
The Arab world is like a powder keg waiting to explode, the Saudi King said yesterday as he opened the two-day GCC Summit in Riyadh.
- By Duraid Al Baik, Foreign Editor
- Published: 00:00 December 10, 2006
- Image Credit: WAM
- Shaikh Khalifa with the UAE delegation at the inaugural session of the GCC Summit in Riyadh yesterday. He was accompanied by Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Interior; Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs; and Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister.
Riyadh: The Arab world is like a powder keg waiting to explode, the Saudi King said yesterday as he opened the two-day GCC Summit in Riyadh.
Citing what he said was a potentially explosive situation in the region, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz said in his inaugural speech: "The condition in Palestine and the continuing Israeli aggression, the fight in Iraq where a brother is still killing his brother, and the political tussle in Lebanon that threatens to push the nation into instability are the three key issues that are of great concern to the GCC."
President His Highess Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan led the UAE delegation at the inaugural session of the summit, which was also attended by King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed of Oman, Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar and Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Emir of Kuwait.
"Our Arab region is besieged by a number of dangers, as if it was a powder keg waiting for a spark to explode," King Abdullah said. The Palestinians are reeling from "a hostile and ugly occupation" by Israel while the international community watches their "bloody tragedy like a spectator," he said. But "most dangerous for the [Palestinian] cause is the conflict among brethren," he said.
"In Lebanon, we see dark clouds threatening the unity of the homeland, [while] Iraq is about to slip into the darkness of strife and mad struggle," he said.
During his speech, the Saudi monarch extended warm thanks to Shaikh Khalifa for the wisdom and confidence he displayed during his tenure as Chairman of the GCC Summit.
Chance for assessment
King Abdullah said the current summit named Jaber Summit provided an opportunity to assess the progress of the council. "What has been achieved so far is still far below the expectations of our people," he said.
He also emphasised the importance of economic unification of the GCC. "We need to see our nationals moving among GCC countries and enjoying the same rights as in their homeland. The delay in achieving this goal is the responsibility of all member states ... We have to work hard to achieve this goal as soon as possible," he said.
Opting out: Oman not to join Gulf Monetary Union in 2010
Oman has informed the Gulf states it will not join a monetary union on the planned date in 2010, a Gulf official said yesterday as the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) gathered for a summit meeting.
"They feel they are not going to be ready by 2010 ... Rather than delay the process, they want the other countries to move ahead, and they can join at a later date," said the official, who asked not to be named.
He said Oman had obtained the approval of other members of the six-nation group Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait for its plan to stay out.
The GCC leaders earlier arrived in Riyadh for the two-day summit aimed in part at helping resolve problems over the monetary union and a customs union. Oman had recently cast doubt on the timetable for the single currency project, suggesting other nations shared its concern.
The official said the decision was positive because it would not hold up the other countries in the proposed union. "They said they would like to keep attending committee meetings but without voting [rights]," he said.
- Reuters
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