Secretary-general's issue still unresolved

Manama: The foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have again failed to resolve the issue of the name of the secretary general of the six-member alliance, Al Qabas Kuwaiti daily reported on Sunday.

Bahrain insists that its nominee Mohammad Al Mutawa, a former information minister and currently the advisor to the prime minister, become the secretary general in 2011.

However, Qatar is adamant that Abdul Rahman Al Attiyah, a Qatari national who has held the position since 2002, remain in charge.

Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have publicly endorsed the Bahraini nominee, leaving only Qatar defending the nomination of Al Attiyah.

"The decision on the post will have to be made by the leaders when they convene for the summit," the paper said.

On Friday, Bahrain's Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa told Gulf News that there would be consultations on the issue.

Political, security and economic issues will figure on the agenda of the 30th GCC summit.