Foreign Minister hails GCC strides

Manama, Nov. 24 (BNA): Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa stressed the tangible achievements of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), since its inception, citing particularly security, stability and sustainable development. In an interview aired on Sky News Arabia, he said that GCC people aspires to establish the full-fledged Gulf Union, adding that this goal would ultimately be achieved. Regarding Yemen, he reiterated the stance of the GCC countries and the Saudi-led alliance to support legitimate rule and back efforts to achieve peace and reach political settlement, stressing the ability of Yemenis to solve their own problems, beyond any foreign interference. “The GCC countries are not warmongers that beat the war drums but they rally to defend themselves when their security and stability are threatened”, he said, paying tribute to late Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal. The ministry deplored the tragic humanitarian plight of the Syrian people, describing the disastrous situation the war-torn country as being the worst since the end of the Second World War, stressed the necessity of settling the crisis politically. Regarding relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, he said that the ideology of exporting the revolution thwart all efforts to improve relations, urging Tehran to stop interfering in the internal affairs of Bahrain and other GCC country. “Iran considers Shiite in Bahrain, Iran, Pakistan or any country in the world as subjects to the Supreme Spiritual leader rather than citizens in their own countries”, he said, adding the striking majority of Shiites in Bahrain are loyal to their country. He slammed the expansionist policies of the Iranian theocratic regime that seeks to spread its tentacles and impose its hegemony in Iraq and Lebanon, which are two Arab countries. Commenting on the demand submitted by Iranian authorities to Kuwait to mediate and bridge the gap between the GCC and Tehran regime, the minister stressed the need for the Islamic Republic to change its subversive policies and stop interfering in the internal affairs of other countries for relations to be put on the right track. Regarding the fate of the Iranian nuclear agreement under the new American Administration, he said that the issue concerns the signatories, including the United States of American and Iran. Asked about the future prospects of relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the USA, he said that joint ties binding the two countries are “long-standing, deep-rooted and complex”. Asked about the statements of the new US President-elect against the GCC states, he dismissed such statements as being part of the electoral campaigns to win votes, describing the US as a country governed through institutions. Asked about the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), he said that such legislation harms the United States first and foremost, stressing his confidence that the US would not endorse the controversial law. On future relations with Beirut, he stressed the GCC countries’ keenness on the stability and sovereignty of Lebanon, which should not be held hostage by a militia.