GCC Foreign Ministers meet in Riyadh
November 23, 2011
The Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states held their 121st meeting of the 32nd session of the GCC Supreme Council in Riyadh today. The Kingdom’s delegation was led by Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, who is also the Chairman of the current session of the GCC Ministerial Council. Also in attendance were Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa; Omani Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah; Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr. Khalid bin Mohamed Al-Attiyah; Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah; UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan; and GCC Secretary General Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani.Addressing the delegates, Prince Saud expressed hope that continued cooperation will allow the GCC states to achieve more of their citizens’ aspirations. In the wake of rapid changes in the Arab world, he noted, working together to preserve stability and encourage growth, while preventing foreign intervention, is critical. Unfortunately, he continued, many obstacles are in the way of resolving certain crisis, including Israel’s intransigence regarding the peace process and Iran’s continued interference into its neighbors’ internal affairs as well as its nuclear crisis.
Nevertheless, Prince Saud pointed out the important contributions the GCC has recently made towards resolving conflicts in Yemen, Libya, Syria, Bahrain and elsewhere. In particular, he lauded the signing of the GCC initiative to resolve the crisis in Yemen, which he hoped will lead to peace and security in that country.
