GCC leaders keen to advance joint action, says Al-Atiyyah

MUSCAT, December 28, SPA -- Leaders of the member states of the Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) are keen on advancing joint action in order
to realize aspirations for greater prosperity and development, said
GCC Secretary General Abdulrahman Al-Atiyyah on Saturday.


In a statement to the local "Oman" daily carried today by Kuwait
News Agency (KUNA), he said the 29th Summit of the GCC Leaders, set
to be held in Muscat on Monday and Tuesday under the chairmanship of
Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Saeed, would be "a new launch-pad towards
the GCC integration in all areas of joint action, guided by the
wisdom of Sultan Qaboos and his brothers, the leaders of the Gulf
states."


He added that a number of topics would be discussed at the Muscat
summit, saying the agenda included reports and recommendations issued
by the ministerial committees pertaining to joint action, as well as
the monetary union agreement and its statute, approving the charter
for the joint Gulf market, a report on the "smart card," and a
follow-up on implementation of the Higher GCC Council's decisions in
different areas.

Al-Atiyyah said the summit would be looking into visions of the
consultative authority in relation to inflation and the general hike
in the price of commodities, as well as their social impact on Gulf
citizens and economies.


The Secretary General also said that he would be referring a report
to the summit on means to counter the negative impact that some media
outlets had on youth, adding that another report dealt with the GCC's
strategic cultural plan.


The GCC leaders will also look into results of the meetings of
foreign ministers, he said, as well as progress in cooperation with
Yemen and negotiations with other countries and economic blocs.


Al-Atiyyah further said the leaders would be discussing the three
UAE islands occupied by Iran, GCC-Iran relations, the latest
developments in the Iranian nuclear dossier, as well as the
situations in Iraq and the Palestinian territories, and the Middle
East peace process.


--SPA