Atiyyah, Secretary of the GCC, confirmed that the historic and strategic relations between the GCC countries and the United States were deep-rooted in the political and economic development history of the region and has firm bases and principles not affected with changes at the White House. Addressing the gathering on his behalf, the GCC Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs Dr. Abdulkareem Al-Hammadi, drew the attention to the volatile crises which orchestrated the region's theatre since the establishment of the GCC in March 1981, citing the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, Iraq invasion of Kuwait and U.S. invasion of Iraq. Al-Atiyyah expressed the hope of the GCC countries that the new U.S. administration puts on its foreign policy priorities putting off the region's tensions and fires, led by the Palestinian cause and particularly hoping for the finding of a solution for the Arab Israeli conflict on the bases of the international legitimacy resolutions and Arab Peace Initiative. On the Iraqi affairs, Al-Atiyyah expressed hope that the U.S. should not accelerate the withdrawal of its troops from Iraq; rather it makes it gradually to avoid making a security and political gap that would provide a chance for regional forces to increase their interference and influence in the Iraqi affairs and affect the independence of political and security decision-making for Iraq and threatens its Arab and Islamic identity. --More
