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GCC slams Iran provocation

The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council’s meeting in Doha on Tuesday condemned as ‘provocative’ a visit by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to UAE’s island of Abu Mousa.

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The Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers meeting in Doha on Tuesday. The UAE delegation was led by Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. — AP

The members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) “strongly condemn the Iranian president’s visit to Abu Mousa which is a provocative act and a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the United Arab Emirates over its three islands”, they said in a joint statement.

The visit, last week, “contradicts good neighbourly policies”, they added.

The GCC also demanded Iran “end its occupation of three islands of Abu Mousa, Greater Tunb and Lower Tunb and respond to calls by the UAE to find a peaceful and just solution through negotiations or by resorting to the international court”.

The group further pledged their “full support to the UAE in all actions it takes to regain its rights and sovereignty over its islands”.

Foreign ministers of the GCC — grouping the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman — met at a special meeting in Doha on Tuesday at the request of the UAE.

The UAE delegation to the meeting was led by Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The meeting was chaired by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal.

The UAE on Sunday summoned Iran’s ambassador to UAE to denounce Ahmadinejad’s visit to Abu Mousa.

Following is the full text of the GCC Ministerial Council’s statement

‘Upon the United Arab Emirates’s request to hold an extraordinary meeting by the Ministerial Council of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) to discuss the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to the UAE’s Abu Mousa island, the 39^th extraordinary meeting was held in Doha, Qatar, under the chairmanship of Prince Saud Al Faisal, Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia who is the president of the current GCC Ministerial Council, and in presence of GCC Secretary-General Dr Abdul Latif Al Zayani.

The Council stressed that any transgression of the sovereignty of and any interference in the domestic affairs of any member states is considered as transgression of the sovereignty of, and interference in the domestic affairs of all member states of the Council.

The Council reiterated its full solidarity with the UAE and with any moves it takes to regain its rights and sovereignty over its occupied islands. The Council demanded that Iran put an end to its occupation of the islands and response to the UAE’s calls to find a peaceful and just solution either through bilateral negotiations or referral to the International Court of Justice.

Member states of the Council reiterate their firm stance of fully backing the UAE’s full sovereignty over its three islands, Abu Mousa, the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb, including their regional waters, airspace, continental shelf and their exclusive economic zone, as integral parts of the UAE.

The member states of the Council strongly denounce the Iranian President’s visit to Abu Musa Island on 11 April 2012 as a provocative action and a flagrant violation of the UAE’s sovereignty over its three islands which is not in line with the GCC policy of maintaining good neighbourly relations with Iran and the persistent peaceful efforts by the GCC member states for solving the issue of the three occupied islands.

The GCC member states stress that the visit would not change the historic and legal facts which all hold proof to the UAE’s sovereignty over these three islands.

The Council noted that the UAE was committed to the agreement between the two countries to making joint efforts and reach a peaceful and just solution that would help establish stability and security in the Arabian Gulf region and ensure that the two sides agree on holding bilateral negotiations on the three islands. Each side even named the head of its negotiating delegation.

The UAE informed fellow member states of the Council of those efforts which they gave their blessings to, but the Iranian President’s visit to Abu Mousa Island breached the agreement and undermines these efforts for calm which the UNITED ARAB EMIRATES was committed to. The Council is surprised at the Iranian double standards in dealing with these sincere diplomatic efforts by the UAE.

Based on the GCC’s approaches for building balanced good neighbourly relations with Iran, the GCC stressed that enhancing regional relations should be based on mutual respect of the sovereignty of other states, non-interference in their domestic affairs, balanced rhetoric as well as on tackling common concerns in a serious and sincere way as these principles provide the sound foundations for steadfast relations among states and peoples, as well as for avoiding the consequences of instability of this important region on global security and peace.’