At the conclusion of their 91st session in Jeddah today, the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) issued a final statement, in which they condemned the recent act of terrorism in Al-Khobar that led to the deaths of a number of innocent civilians and the detention and terrorization of citizens and residents who considered themselves safe. The statement expressed total solidarity with the Kingdom; praised the proficiency of the Saudi security forces in confronting such criminal and deviant acts; stressed that Islam has nothing to do with these terrorist acts; and welcomed the signing in Kuwait on May 4 of the GCC agreement on combating terrorism.

The ministers reaffirmed support for the sovereignty of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the three islands (Lesser and Greater Tunb and Abu Mousa) occupied by Iran; praised the positive results of the recent Arab Summit in Tunisia, notably the document pledging concord and solidarity; and welcomed the signing of peace protocols between the Sudanese government and the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM). In the Middle East peace process, they expressed commitment to the Arab peace initiative, calling for cooperation with the Quartet Committee; expressed regret over the decision of the United States to impose sanctions on Syria and hoped it would be reviewed; and called on Israel and the international community to free the Middle East from all weapons of mass destruction. On Iraq, they congratulated President Shaikh Ghazi Ajeel Yawar and Prime Minister Iyad Allawi on assuming their posts in the interim government; and stressed the need for United Nations involvement in preparing the conditions for transferring sovereignty to the Iraqi people by June 30.
Attending the meeting, in addition to Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Saud Al-Faisal, were Kuwait's Foreign Minister Shaikh Dr. Muhammad bin Sabah bin Salem Al-Sabah; Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Shaikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al-Thani; the United Arab Emirates' Foreign Minister Rashid bin Abdullah Al-Naimi; Omani Foreign Minister Yosef bin Alawi; and GCC Secretary-General Abdulrahman Al-Attiyah.

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