Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, today arrived in Muscat, Oman, at the head of the Kingdom’s delegation to the sixteenth summit conference of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud.   On arrival, Prince Abdullah thanked Sultan Qaboos, his government and people, for hosting the sixteenth GCC summit which is convened amid highly vulnerable circumstances facing the Arab world in the light of the latest political changes at regional, Arab, Islamic and international levels.   He went on to express his delight at the opportunity of meeting with his brothers, the leaders of the other GCC states, and reaffirmed the Council’s resolve to go ahead with its efforts to reinforce its growth process with the aim of realizing greater security, stability and prosperity for its member states and their peoples, saying:  “On behalf of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, I hope that our meeting engenders positive results that can serve our countries and our peoples”.

Prince Abdullah, referring to the fact that since its formation in 1981 the GCC has been recognized as an outstanding entity in contemporary Arab history that had successfully embodied in itself  the true aspirations of the Arab conscience for generations to come and for many centuries ahead, stated:  “It is no secret that the establishment of the GCC represents a practical response to popular demand and fulfillment of a regional necessity stipulated by contemporary conditions.   It is quite clear that the GCC countries are facing a common security situation as these countries have become a target of enemies”.

He added that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz, feels that there is no other way to confront such challenges, except through combining these countries’  human, economic, political and military capabilities and developing an integrated force with sufficient weight and influence to face up to conspiracies and malicious aggression whose targeted mission is to weaken and disturb the security, peace and stability of its peoples.   Prince Abdullah stated:   “If common interest, the requirements of security and stability, and the abundance of favorable development conditions were behind the pressing need for the establishment of the GCC, there are also other circumstances that make the creation of the Council an outstanding act and help in the realization of numerous important achievements including  faithful and responsible leadership ......  Among other elements that contribute to the success of the GCC are the factors of kinship and harmony, geographical features in common, common religion and language, historical and cultural links, and a common fate and aspirations in addition to similarity of ruling systems, economic bases, and shared values and traditions.”

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