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Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Abdulrahman al-Attiyah has called on giving the Iraqi people the chance to select their own leadership, saying that the Iraqi people are able to play an effective role in building their future.
In a statement to the Arabic-language newspaper Al-Riyadh published on Sunday, al-Attiyah described the coming stage as "sensitive" and said that the Iraqi people need a sincere stance to overcome the problems in the past 30 years.
He revealed that the extraordinary meeting of the GCC foreign ministers, scheduled to be held on Tuesday, would discuss the future of Iraq, the consequences of the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime and a mechanism to begin a humanitarian aid program for the Iraqi people.
He stressed the keenness of the GCC states to support Iraq's sovereignty, territorial integrity and stability, saying: "the GCC is keen to see the Iraqi people play their known role."
The GCC chief hoped the Iraqi people would overcome this ordeal and build a new state that respects its neighbors and fully complies with Arab, Islamic and international charters including UN resolutions.
Commenting on the presence of the Arabian Peninsula Shield forces in Kuwait and whether they move to another place, al-Attiyah said these forces will remain under the disposal of the Kuwaiti government up to the coming period.
The GCC groups Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.
(Xinhua News Agency April 13, 2003)
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