GCC Summit Will Be Held amid Major Changes in the Region; Bahraini FM Says

Doha, December 23 (QNA) - Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmad Al Khalifa underlined the importance of the upcoming GCC Summit, due to kick off in the Bahraini capital, Manama, Monday, as it will be held amid major changes in the region. Speaking to Qatari daily (Al-Sharq), the Bahraini Foreign Minister said that the supplementary meeting of the GCC Foreign Ministers will discuss today the reports referred by the committees and prepare the agenda of the summit. He noted that the Foreign Ministers supplementary meeting will cover several areas including military cooperation, environmental protection and accelerating the steps leading to the economic unity. The Minister underlined that economic integration must receive great attention, and that the GCC countries must strive to form an integrate economic unit because it is the basis for the real unity in the future. The Foreign Minister also believed that the GCC countries must complete all defensive and preventive measures against any threat, whether it was direct military threat or environmental threat. Referring to the current developments in the region, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmad Al Khalifa noted that the GCC countries are not isolated from the region and are not different from other countries that have experienced these events; however, the circumstances that led to the Arab Spring events are different. Concerning the situation in Bahrain, the Minister underlined that what happened in the Kingdom of Bahrain was only another phase of the demands and aspirations of the people, and that was not new to the Bahraini people to claim their legitimate rights. He underlined that dialogue is vital for Bahrain and must include all parties, stressing that violence will not help to resolve the issue. The Minister expressed hope to expedite the implementation of the vital Qatar-Bahrain bridge, saying that it is a big strategic project for both Bahrain and Qatar. (QNA)