Gulf Countries Do Not Want US Meddling In Their Affairs
Iran’s nuclear deal should bring stability and “good neighbourliness” rather than interference, Gulf Arab states told US Secretary of State John Kerry Monday as they began talks on the merits of its historic accord with the 5P+1 UN world powers.
Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid al-Attiyah, welcoming Sec. Kerry to Qatar for the talks with the 6 countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), said the alliance wanted to spare the region “from any dangers and threats from nuclear weapons”.
This should be done by authorizing the use of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes in line with international rules, he said, speaking for the GCC as host of the meeting.
“We look forward with hope to the nuclear agreement … leading to the preservation of security and stability in the region, and we emphasize the importance of cooperation with Iran based on principles of good neighbourliness, non-interference in internal affairs and solving disputes peacefully.”
Most GCC states are worried that Iran’s 14 July accord with the United States and other powers will hasten detente between Tehran and Washington and embolden the re-opened nation to support paramilitary allies in the region..
In the Qatari capital, Sec. Kerry met members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) that includes: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar.
He will also hold talks with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir that US will focus on the war in Syria.
Russia has been trying to bring about rapprochement between the Syrian government and regional states including Saudi Arabia and Turkey to forge an alliance to fight IS militants who have taken large amounts of territory in Syria’s civil war.
Mr. Kerry said last month he planned to discuss with Mr. Lavrov combating Islamic State and the role Iran could play.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is urging Gulf countries to work with Iran to counter a wave on instability in the Middle East.
“We must all accept the fact that the era of zero-sum games is over, and we all win or lose together,” he wrote in Arabic, backing up his statement with passages from the Koran.
US officials say Kerry’s diplomatic outreach in Doha is a follow-up to a Summit with Gulf Arab leaders that was called by President Barack Hussein Obama at Camp David in May and was snubbed some GCC leaders.
At that meeting Mr. Obama addressed worries among Gulf states about the Iran deal by pledging to back them against any “external attack”. He stopped short of offering a formal defense treaty that some Gulf states wanted. He did however, announce more modest measures, including integrating ballistic missile defense systems and beefing up cyber and maritime security.
Stay tuned…
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Paul Ebeling
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