Doha: The 160th ministerial meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), held in Doha on Sunday and chaired by Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, called for a positive and serious response to US President Joe Biden’s announcement of the agreement reached regarding the ceasefire and Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the release of hostages and detainees, the safe return of displaced persons to their homes, and the provision of adequate humanitarian aid to civilians.
The Council stressed the need to build on this declaration to reach a political framework to resume negotiations in order to achieve comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution, praising the efforts made by the State of Qatar and the Arab Republic of Egypt to achieve a ceasefire and stop the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip.
The Ministerial Council also condemned the continued Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip, stressing that the GCC stands by the brotherly Palestinian people during the current developments in the Gaza Strip and its surroundings, demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire and halt of Israeli military operations, and ensuring the secure access of all humanitarian and relief aid and basic needs to the residents of Gaza.
The Ministerial Council expressed its sincere condolences to the Islamic Republic of Iran on the demise of President Dr Ebrahim Raisi, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian, and their companions in the presidential plane crash, praying to Allah the Almighty to shower them with His vast mercy and forgiveness.
The Council expressed its sincere condolences to the leadership, government and people of the Sultanate of Oman for the victims of the heavy and torrential rains that swept the state of Al Mudhaibi.
The Ministerial Council congratulated H M King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, on the Kingdom’s assumption of the presidency of the Arab Summit at its 33rd session, held in the Kingdom of Bahrain on May 16, 2024.
The Ministerial Council reviewed developments in joint Gulf action and developments in political issues regionally and internationally, as follows Strengthening Joint Gulf Action: The Ministerial Council reviewed the efforts made by the committees working within the framework of the GCC to implement the vision of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with regards to strengthening joint Gulf action, which was approved by the Supreme Council at its 36th session in December 2015, directing swift implementation and completion of it.
The Ministerial Council affirmed the continued strengthening of cooperation and integration among member states in order to implement the decisions of the Supreme Council regarding finalizing the requirements for completing the Customs Union by the end of 2024 and implementing complete equality of treatment among citizens of the Cooperation Council countries in the areas of the GCC common market.
The Ministerial Council approved the Real Estate Stimulus Guide in the GCC countries and the Guide to Evaluating the Resilience of Cities in the Field of Housing in the GCC Countries as two guidelines.
The Ministerial Council condemned the continued Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip, stressing that the GCC stands by the brotherly Palestinian people during the current developments in the Gaza Strip and its surroundings, demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire and halt of Israeli military operations, and ensuring the secure access of all humanitarian and relief aid and basic needs to the residents of Gaza.
The Ministerial Council holds Israel legally responsible before the international community for its ongoing violations and attacks against innocent civilians, which resulted in the killing of thousands of civilians in the Gaza Strip, most of them women and children, in violation of international law and international humanitarian law, stressing the importance of ending the siege imposed on the Strip and to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people, and calling on the international community to take a serious and resolute stance to provide protection for civilians in the Gaza Strip.
The Ministerial Council called on the Security Council to take a binding decision under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter that guarantees the Israeli occupation forces’ compliance with the immediate ceasefire and to halt the genocide against the Palestinian people and their forcible displacement, the entry of humanitarian aid, and the return of life to normal in the Gaza Strip, calling on the Security Council to implement its previous decisions for the Arab-Israeli conflict.
The Ministerial Council condemned the ongoing Israeli aggression against the city of Rafah and the occupation forces’ invasion of the land crossing between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Gaza Strip, and its closure to the entry of humanitarian aid to the residents of the Strip.
The Ministerial Council condemned the continued destruction by Israeli forces of residential neighborhoods, hospitals, schools, universities, mosques, churches and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, including the targeting of Palestinian displaced camps in Tal al-Sultan, west of Rafah, in a brutal raid on May 26, 2024, resulting in the death of more than 45 civilians and hundreds being injured, in clear violation of international humanitarian law.
The Ministerial Council affirmed its firm positions on the centrality of the Palestinian cause, ending the Israeli occupation, and its support for the sovereignty of the Palestinian people over all the Palestinian territories occupied since June 1967.
The Ministerial Council welcomed the initiatives announced by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, calling for an international peace conference in the Middle East to establish a national, independent, secure, and sovereign Palestinian state and supporting efforts to recognize the Palestinian state at the international level and accept its full membership in the United Nations.
The Ministerial Council expressed deep regret at the failure of the UN Security Council to adopt a draft resolution accepting full membership of the State of Palestine in the United Nations.
The Ministerial Council affirmed that the entire Al Durra field is located in the marine areas of the State of Kuwait, and that ownership of the natural resources in the divided submerged zone adjacent to the Saudi-Kuwaiti divided zone, including the entire Al Durra field, is jointly owned by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Kuwait, and they alone have full rights to exploit the natural resources in that region, in accordance with the provisions of international law and based on the agreements concluded and in force between them.
The Ministerial Council emphasized its firm positions and decisions towards terrorism and extremism, regardless of their source, rejecting all its forms and manifestations and rejecting its motives and justifications, working to dry up its sources of financing, and supporting international efforts to combat terrorism, stressing that tolerance and coexistence between nations and peoples are among the most important principles and values on which the societies of the Council states were built, and their dealing with other peoples.
The Ministerial Council stressed the full support for the Presidential Leadership Council chaired by HE Dr. Rashad Mohammed Al Alimi and the supporting entities to it to achieve security and stability in Yemen, to reach a comprehensive political solution, in accordance with the GCC Initiative and its executive mechanism, and the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference, and Security Council Resolution 2216, in a manner that preserves the sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity and independence of the brotherly Yemen.
The Ministerial Council welcomed the continued sincere efforts made by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman, and the ongoing contacts with all Yemeni parties to revive the political process, leading to the achievement of a comprehensive and sustainable political solution in Yemen.
The Ministerial Council reaffirmed its firm positions and decisions regarding the sisterly Iraq, and supported the ongoing efforts to achieve security and stability in Iraq, stressing the importance of preserving the integrity and unity of Iraq’s territory, its full sovereignty, Arab identity, social fabric, and national unity. It also expressed its support for confronting terrorist groups and armed militias to uphold state sovereignty and the rule of law.
The Ministerial Council reaffirmed its firm positions regarding preserving the unity of the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, respecting its independence and sovereignty over its lands, rejecting regional interventions in its internal affairs, supporting the efforts of the United Nations to reach a political solution in Syria in line with Security Council resolution 2254 and relevant UN resolutions, supporting the efforts of its special envoy for Syria (Geir Pedersen), supporting efforts to host Syrian refugees and displaced persons and work for their voluntary and safe return to Syria in accordance with international standards, and rejecting any attempts to make demographic changes in Syria.
The Ministerial Council affirmed the positions of the GCC in support of the brotherly Lebanese people and its continued support for the sovereignty, security and stability of Lebanon and for the Lebanese armed forces that protect its borders and confront the threats of extremist and terrorist groups. It stressed the importance of implementing comprehensive structural political and economic reforms that ensure Lebanon overcomes its political and economic crisis and does not become a launching point for terrorists, drug trafficking or other criminal activities that threaten the security and stability of the region.
