Syria urged to halt ‘killing machine' Iran told to stop interfering in Gulf states' internal affairsRIYADH – Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders Tuesday endorsed the proposal of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to form a “single entity”. “The GCC leaders welcomed and blessed the proposal of King Abdullah, the current chairman of the Supreme Council, on the transition from the stage of cooperation to the stage of unity,” GCC Secretary General Dr. Abdullatif Bin Rashid Al-Zayani said, reading the communique of the 32nd session of the Supreme Council and the Riyadh Declaration. King Abdullah, on Monday, said the security of Saudi Arabia and its Arab neighbors was being targeted, and called on Gulf Arab states to “move beyond the stage of cooperation and into the stage of unity in a single entity”. The GCC leaders directed the Ministerial Council to form a specialist commission to study the proposal and provide a preliminary report by March. After the conclusion of the two-day GCC summit, Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Prince Saud Al-Faisal said that Syria must embrace all of the Arab League plan it has signed, which calls for pulling troops from population centers, releasing prisoners and engaging in dialogue with opposition forces. “If the intentions are pure, these steps must be taken immediately,” Prince Saud said at a joint press conference with Al-Zayani. A communique issued at the conclusion of the GCC summit called on Syria to “immediately halt its killing machine, put an end to bloodshed, lift all signs of armed conflict and release prisoners, as a first step towards implementing the (Arab) protocol”. It also called on Iran to stop meddling in the internal affairs of the group's members. “Stop these policies and practices… and stop interfering in the internal affairs” of the Gulf nations, said the communique. The GCC also expressed concern over attempts by Iran to “instigate sectarian strife”. It expressed support for a Kuwaiti port project and urged Baghdad to step up its efforts to normalize ties with its neighbor. “The GCC supports Kuwait concerning the Mubarak Al-Kabir port since it will be built on Kuwaiti land and within its territorial waters,” said the communique. It also urged Iraq to “implement its international commitments toward Kuwait” in a bid to “enhance trust between the two countries and strengthen their relations”.
