Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs, hailed the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for its an effective role in dealing with the events of the Arab world. In his address during the opening session of the 122nd Ministerial Council of GCC Foreign Ministers, Prince Saud said that GCC's management of the crisis that has spread in some parts of the Arab region was responsible and sincere. The Foreign Minister reminded the meeting that when the Arab League moved to deal with the problem in Libya, GCC countries were at the forefront. “The efforts of the Arab League to resolve the crisis in Syria are also based on the initiatives of our countries,” he said. “The process of transferring power in Yemen was based on the GCC initiative that aimed to preserve unity, stability and prosperity of this country.” “These achievements of GCC member states in the Arab arena came amid a difficult situation. (It's) a development that urges us to exert more efforts in order to forge the Arab stance,” he added. Prince Saud said the GCC is always committed to helping Arab countries. He underscored the importance of living up to the aspirations of the peoples who enjoy dignity and liberty and hate oppression and revenge. The Foreign Minister said the agenda of the meeting was to find ways to implement King Abdullah's proposal of turning the GCC into a single union. Citing the report prepared by the expert committee for the Union, Prince Saud said the proposal emanates from a firm belief that the “current challenges facing us necessitate such a qualitative stride”. “We can face them as a united bloc keeping in mind that such a matter requires the completion of a number of aspects of cooperation and coordination among us,” he said. “Of course, all the efficient and effective bodies of the proposed Union will be formed of representatives of the GCC states, and will work according to a mechanism that accelerates the pace of performance, helping us to overcome the obstacles facing joint action,” he explained. Prince Saud added that the Union will not affect the sovereignty of any member state, nor interfere in its internal affairs. “The agenda of the meeting includes many issues and questions relating to cooperation and coordination among us,” he said. After a closed session, the ministers issued a communique praising the report of the expert committee. The statement said the committee should present its final report before the next ministerial session. Meanwhile, in a televised news conference, Prince Saud said the Kingdom welcomed international efforts to broker a ceasefire in Syria but added that they have “failed to stop the massacres.” “Is there something greater than the right to defend oneself and to defend human rights,” he said. “The regime is not wanted by the people. The regime is insisting on imposing itself by force on the Syrian people,” he added.
