GCC FMs to hold emergency meet on Saturday

As attacks by groups of people on two Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran continue to draw condemnation from around the globe, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Foreign Ministers will hold an emergency meeting on Saturday to discuss the recent attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran, GCC Secretary General  Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani announced yesterday. 

In a press statement, Al Zayani said that the meeting would be held in Riyadh under the Chairmanship of Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir. 

The meeting  is expected to denounce the attacks on the Saudi embassy in Tehran and consulate in Mashhad as well as Iranian flagrant interferences in the domestic affairs of Arab countries.

GCC member state Bahrain followed Saudi Arabia in severing its diplomatic relations with Iran, declaring all Iranian diplomats persona non grata after 48 hours on Monday. 

Commenting on the decision to sever diplomatic ties with Iran, Information and Parliament Affairs Minister Isa bin Abdulrahman Al Hammadi  said  on Monday that the Cabinet assigned the Foreign Ministry to take the necessary measures, adding that details would be announced at a later date.  

“Senior Iranian officials’ hostile statements, blatant interference and support to terror groups in the region over the past years have led to the establishment of a pan-Arab alliance to protect our countries and the Arab region,” he said. 

He cited the recent hostile statements and blatant interference in the sovereign internal affairs of Saudi Arabia, which prompted Bahrain to announce the decision to sever diplomatic relations. 

Earlier on Monday, the Kuwaiti Cabinet strongly condemned, in a statement, following its weekly meeting, Iranian hostile remarks and attacks as “acts of sabotage” and “blatant violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961.” 

The Cabinet members reiterated that Kuwait stands side by side with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and supports all measures it might adopt to maintain its security and stability.

The Chairman of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU) and Kuwaiti National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Ali Al Ghanim also condemned the hostile acts as a flagrant violation of Iran’s commitment to protect diplomatic missions and guarantee the safety of diplomatic staff it
hosts.

He reaffirmed full solidarity with Saudi Arabia, and full support for the statement of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in this regard.

Al Ghanim also announced a plan to convene an emergency National Assembly meeting in camera to discuss the accelerating tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran in the wake of the former’s decision to sever ties with Iran.

The minister added that a cache of explosives was discovered in Bahrain last September, noting that investigations reveal Iran had “provided logistic support and training to some terrorist elements.” 

Furthermore, he said that, “five terrorists were arrested as they committed a blast in Sitra, south of Manama, killing two security men and injuring six others last July.” 

He referred to the statements made by some of Iran’s officials against Bahrain, which he deemed were interference in Bahrain’s internal affairs, adding that it has been supporting some terrorist organisations in the region over the past years.

“This requires the formation of an Arab coalition seeking to safeguard our (Gulf) nations, and the Arab region,” he explained.

In Tunis, the Arab Interior Ministers’ Council firmly condemned the aggression on the Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran, and considered it “a clear violation of all international laws and norms of diplomacy”.

It expressed “categorical rejection” of any external attempt that might target the security of any Arab country and commended Riyadh’s efforts to bolster security and peace throughout the Arab region.

The Council also voiced “full support” to the measures taken by Saudi Arabia to counter terrorism and guarantee security of citizens, and all Arab people.

The international community in turn has condemned the attacks, with Washington, Moscow, London and Ankara all urging both sides to resolve their differences in a peaceful manner.

In Moscow, Russia’s Foreign Ministry criticised the dual attacks on the Saudi diplomatic mission and reminded Iran of its commitment to protect the safety of all foreign missions it hosts.

Attacking a diplomatic mission can by no means be deemed a legitimate way to express protest or political views, the ministry said in a press release.

It voiced serious concern over the deterioration of ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, calling on both sides to address their differences through dialogue.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said that US officials continued to be concerned about the need for both the Iranians and the Saudis to “de-escalate the situation.” 

The US officials “are urging all sides to show restraint and not to further inflame tensions that are on quite vivid display in the region,” Earnest said during a briefing in Washington.

Secretary of State John Kerry has been in touch with his Iranian counterpart, and US diplomatic officials in Saudi Arabia have been in touch with their counterparts to convey this message, Earnest said.

“I would anticipate that Secretary Kerry will be in touch with his counterpart in Saudi Arabia at some point soon as well to deliver that same message.

“We believe there is more that can be done by people on all sides to try to bridge those divides in a way that advances the interests of countries all across the region,” he added.

Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron expressed profound concern over the tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

“It is hugely concerning because of course we want to see stability in the Middle East - not least because that will be absolutely essential for solving the crisis in Syria which is the source of so many of these problems,” Cameron said.