US Secretary of State John Kerry (3rd left), Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Abdullatif Bin Rashid Al-Zayani of Bahrain (2nd right) and Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al-Hamad (right) listen while Oman's Foreign Minister Yusuf Bin Alawi (left) speaks during a meeting of foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Doha, Qatar, Monday. — Reuters DOHA — Iran's nuclear deal should bring stability and “good neighborliness” rather than interference, Gulf Arab states told US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday as they began talks on the merits of its historic accord with world powers.
Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid Al-Attiyah, welcoming US Secretary of State John Kerry to Qatar for the talks with the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), said the alliance wanted to spare the region “from any dangers and threats from nuclear weapons”.
This should be done by authorizing the use of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes in line with international rules, he said, speaking for the GCC as host of the meeting.
“We look forward with hope to the nuclear agreement ... leading to the preservation of security and stability in the region, and we emphasize the importance of cooperation with Iran based on principles of good neighborliness, non-interference in internal affairs and solving disputes peacefully.”
Al-Attiyah spoke of the urgency of resolving the crises in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, but also complained that “the Middle East is suffering from the failures of the peace process due to the Israeli occupation” of Palestinian land. He accused Israel of “intransigence” in dealing with the Palestinians and said it must end its “illegal blockade of Gaza.”
“We call on the United States of America to exert more efforts to go back to the peace process,” he said before journalists were ushered out of the room.
Kerry, who did not speak while reporters were present, is not traveling to Israel on this trip and US leverage with the current Israeli government is limited, given Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's vehement and vocal opposition to the Iran deal.
US officials rejected suggestions that Kerry was not visiting Israel this week because the administration has given up hope on convincing Netanyahu of the merits of the agreement. Kerry's main goal, however, is to follow up on a May meeting that President Barack Obama hosted for Arab leaders at Camp David. At that meeting, Obama promised Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates enhanced security cooperation and expedited defense sales to guard against a potential Iranian threat.
Kerry has acknowledged concerns about Iran's behavior in the Middle East but says it would be easier to deal with if Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon. He said the agreement struck by world powers with Iran in Vienna last month is the best way to do that.
“Iran is engaged in destabilizing activities in the region — and that is why it is so important to ensure that Iran's nuclear program remains wholly peaceful,” he said on Sunday in Egypt before flying to Qatar. “There can be absolutely no question that the Vienna plan, if implemented, will make Egypt and all the countries of this region safer than they otherwise would be.”
Kerry's visit to Qatar follows one last week by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who also stopped in Kuwait and Iraq to present Tehran's side of the nuclear deal. — Agencies
