Manama: US President Barack Obama said that countries in the Gulf were right to be wary of an Iran supporting violent proxy groups operating in other states.
The US president who is meeting the leaders of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states at the White House and at Camp David for unprecedented talks said he would reiterate his country’s commitment to the security of the region, a core issue for Gulf Arabs.
Obama had invited the GCC states to the summit to iron out differences that emerged after six world powers and Iran announced a framework agreement on Tehran’s nuclear programme.
“I have invited senior officials of the GCC states to Washington to further strengthen our close partnerships, including our security cooperation, and to discuss how we can meet common challenges together,” Obama told the London-based Al Sharq Al Awsat daily. “That includes working to resolve the conflicts across the Middle East that have taken so many innocent lives and caused so much suffering for the people of the region. I’m grateful that all the GCC countries will be represented, and I look forward to our discussions at both the White House and Camp David,” he said.
Obama said that his country had core interests in the Gulf and that meant ensuring that the region was peaceful, prosperous, and secure.
Interests include “confronting external aggression, ensuring the free flow of energy and commerce, and freedom of navigation of international waters, dismantling terrorist networks and preventing the development or use of weapons of mass destruction, he said in his first interview with an Arab newspaper.
Addressing Gulf concerns that the US commitments would be mainly vague statements on paper, he insisted that they were genuine.
“These are not just words; they are backed by a strong record of real action. Across six decades, the United States has worked with GCC countries to advance our mutual interests. Americans have served in the region, and given their lives, for our mutual security. Thousands of US personnel serve in the Gulf region today to reinforce regional stability. Our armed forces train together in numerous major military exercises every year. So there should be no doubt about the commitment of the United States to the security of the region and to our GCC partners,” he said.
According to the US president, the meeting will serve to deepen cooperation across a range of areas, improve security coordination and help the GCC partners strengthen and further integrate their defence capabilities in a range of areas including missile defence, maritime security, cyber security, and border security.
Iran, the thorniest issue between the GCC and the US, will loom large in the talks over the two days.
“I will have the opportunity to update the senior GCC officials on our negotiations toward a comprehensive deal to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, which I strongly believe is the best way to ensure the security of the region, including our GCC partners. At the same time, this week’s meetings will be an opportunity to ensure that our countries are working closely to counter Iran’s destabilising behaviour across the Middle East, including Iran’s support for terrorist groups,” he said.
Obama, in his bid to win the support of sceptical GCC states, clearly indicated that the Iranian regime was the source of menace in the region.
“Iran clearly engages in dangerous and destabilising behaviour in different countries across the region. Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism. It helps prop up the Al Assad regime in Syria. It supports Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. It aids the Al Houthi rebels in Yemen,” he said. “So countries in the region are right to be deeply concerned about Iran’s activities, especially its support for violent proxies inside the borders of other nations. It is important to remember that Iran already engages in these activities without a nuclear arsenal. We can only imagine how Iran might become even more provocative if it were armed with a nuclear weapon. Moreover, it would become even harder for the international community to counter and deter Iran’s destabilising behaviour.”
However, Obama insisted that the deal the West was working out with Iran should be seen as a source of reassurance, not threats to the region.
“That is one of the reasons why the comprehensive deal we are pursuing with Iran is so important — by preventing a nuclear-armed Iran it would remove one of the greatest threats to regional security. It is also possible that if we can successfully address the nuclear question and Iran begins to receive relief from some nuclear sanctions, it could lead to more investments in the Iranian economy and more opportunity for the Iranian people, which could strengthen the hands of more moderate leaders in Iran. More Iranians could see that constructive engagement — not confrontation — with the international community is the better path,” he said.
