NATO-GCC cooperation ensures regional peace, stability

www.chinaview.cn 2005-12-02

KUWAIT CITY, Dec. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Qatari Assistant Foreign Minister Mohammed Al-Rumaihi said on Thursday that cooperation between NATO and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) would ensure peace and stability in the Gulf region, the Qatar News Agency reported.

    Addressing the one-day forum on NATO's Role in Gulf Security held in Doha, Qatar, Al-Rumaihi said that there has been a NATO-Gulf agreement concerning the new security challenges faced by all states in the region.

    These challenges include terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, border security as well as narcotics and human trafficking, he added.

    He stressed the importance of implementing partnership and pragmatic cooperation to overcome these great challenges. GCC Secretary General Abdulrahman Al-Attiya said "we do not want our region to be sandwiched with (nuclear) weapons," in an indication to Israel's nuclear facilities and Iran's nuclear program.

    The NATO-Gulf forum co-organized by NATO and GCC dealt with two key themes, namely new dimensions for Gulf security and GCC cooperation with NATO.

    NATO secretary general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer took part in the conference together with representatives of GCC defense ministers, chiefs of staff of GCC armed forces.

    GCC comprises six Arab oil producing countries, namely Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and United Arab Emirates.Enditem