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GCC wary of Iran nuclear activities |
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Monday, 03 January 2005 |
United Press International
 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Officials of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council said Monday they see no justification for Iran's nuclear program and are skeptical about it.
GCC Secretary-General Abdel Rahman Attiya was quoted in the Saudi daily al-Watan as saying, "Saudi Arabia and the other GCC countries can't find any justification for such nuclear activity which poses great dangers for all the peoples in the Gulf region."
"We are actually seeking to make the region free of weapons of mass destruction," he added.
Attiya expressed hope that countries of the Gulf region, including Iran and Iraq, "would reach agreement over a regional security order based on a balance of interests."
"In view of the existing imbalance of powers in the region, certain GCC countries have worked out security arrangements with outside parties to restore a certain balance with neighbors who appear to have regional ambitions," he said in an obvious reference to Iran.
Attiya ruled out granting full membership in the GCC to Iraq, Iran and Yemen saying "this is very unlikely in the foreseeable future." |
