Kuwait salutes Zayed's initiative

GCC states held emergency talks on the war in Iraq late Monday with a pledge to support their neighbour's unity and expressed regret for President Saddam Hussain's failure to heed a UAE initiative to step down and avert the conflict.

The foreign ministers of the six members of the 22-year-old political, defence and economic group, holding their first meeting after the outbreak of the war on March 21, also pledged to defend Kuwait against any attack and said they were extremely concerned about the casualties and destruction in Iraq.

Opening the one-day talks Monday night, Qatari foreign minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani said the meeting was intended to discuss the "consequences of the war and how to deal with them at present and in future."

"While we express our deep regret and sorrow about the situation and the developments that led to such a confrontation after the failure of intensive peaceful and diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue of Iraq's disarmament peacefully, we are following with pain and concern the developments of this war and the suffering of the brotherly Iraqi people, hoping that the conflict will end as soon as possible to stop the bloodshed and avert further casualties among the innocent civilians," said Sheikh Hamad, whose country is the current chairman of the GCC.

"At the same time, we reiterate our firm position which stresses the need to maintain the independence of Iraq and its sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Sheikh Hamad said the GCC expresses solidarity with Kuwait following Iraqi missiles attacks on its ports and other facilities. He said any threat to Kuwait's security and stability is a "threat to all GCC countries."

"The GCC expresses its solidarity with Kuwait and support for all measures it has taken to ensure its security and protect its territory and safety…the security and stability of our countries and the need to protect their common interests require us to take collective measures to achieve those interests and goals," he said.

Kuwait's deputy premier and foreign minister Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah blamed Saddam for the war and paid tributes to President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan for his proposals to Saddam to heed a U.S. ultimatum and leave Baghdad to avert the confrontation.

"I would like to salute this sincere initiative which aimed to safeguard Iraq's unity and save the Iraqi people from destruction… we had hoped that the Iraqi regime would heed that initiative and offered this sacrifice for his own people," he said.

The GCC states condemned a barrage of Iraqi missile attacks on Kuwait during the first 12 days of the war and stressed their full support for measures taken by the country to protect its security.

Iraq fired some 19 projectiles at Kuwait, with only one landing in the heart of the capital, slightly injuring two people and causing limited damage to the country's largest and most popular shopping mall.

Sheikh Sabah said Kuwait deeply appreciated the support extended by the other GCC members in face of Iraqi attacks. He referred to the deployment of the Peninsula Shield force in Kuwait since the start of the offensive by the U.S. and British troops, who are now in and around Baghdad.

"We are looking with full confidence towards a bright future for Iraq, a free Iraq which respects its neighbours and all Arab, Islamic and international norms and at the same time complies with relevant UN resolutions and actively contribute to serving the causes of our Arab nation and achieving security and stability in the region."

In the closing statement read on Kuwait television by GCC Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Al Attiya, the Gulf states underlined the importance of safeguarding Iraqi civilians and "reaffirm the importance of Iraqis running all of the affairs of their country."

"In this regard, the GCC believes it is time for the international community, represented by the United Nations, to move quickly and effectively to guarantee the future of Iraq, its sovereignty, the unity of its territory and the safety of its people," the statement said.

On March 24, five days into the war on Iraq, Arab foreign ministers at a meeting in Cairo called for the "immediate withdrawal" of U.S. and British forces from Iraq and condemned the US-led invasion as an "aggression."

In a final resolution that Kuwait declined to sign, the Arab ministers also called on "all Arab states to abstain from participating in any military action damaging to the unity and territorial integrity of Iraq or any other Arab country".

Kuwait described the resolution as "not balanced," saying it did "not clearly mention the Iraqi aggressions against Kuwait."