(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The US-led coalition air campaign against the Islamic State (IS) group has delivered results but "military action alone is not enough" to contain the IS advances in Syria and Iraq, the Foreign Minister H E Dr Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah has hinted.
"The coalition is not failing but the air campaign is not enough," Attiyah told reporters, after a meeting between foreign ministers of the GCC and European Union here yesterday.
"There are so many steps which we have to cooperate and coordinate together. One of them is to enhance and expedite the dialogue in Iraq, and in Syria, to find a way out to save the Syrian people, because they have been put between the tyranny of the regime and the brutality of the terrorists," news agencies quoted Al Attiyah as saying.
The 24th GCC-EU Joint Minister Meeting discussed the relations between the GCC countries and the European Union and means of promoting them in all areas, with a focus on issues related to the Free Trade Agreement, and the mutual cooperation between the two sides.
Addressing the opening session, Al Attiyah said, citing the bombing of Qatif mosque in Saudi Arabia last Friday, terrorism is the most dangerous challenge facing the international community.
He underlined the support for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in all measures taken to confront acts of violence that aim at destabilising the security and stability and sow sectarian strife.
"We condemn and reject terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and we must intensify efforts to eradicate it from its roots by addressing all causes and confront the real factors that led to its prominence, with the need to differentiate between terrorism and resistance to the occupation and the right of peoples to struggle for self-determination," said the Foreign Minister.
He said that rapid growth and development in the pace of GCC-EU relations, especially in the economic and commercial field, require more efforts to overcome the difficulties that both sides face in this regard, especially the difficulties that hinder the final signing of the Free Trade Agreement between the two groups.
He pointed out that the European Union is a strategic trade partner of the Gulf Cooperation Council, where two-way trade volume between the two groups rose to more than ¤138bn in 2014 compared to ¤100bn in 2010.
At the political level, the Foreign Minister said that the two sides achieved many accomplishments through their unified positions towards a lot of regional and international issues, which has a positive role, particularly in the area of maintaining international peace and security.
He said that the faltering peace process in the Middle East causes a lot of tension within the region and indeed the world.Dr Al Attiyah called for GCC-EU cooperation with actors in the international community to resume the peace process, lift the siege on Gaza Strip, stop settlement activities and end the Israeli occupation of Arab territories in accordance with UN resolutions, Security Council resolutions and Arab Peace Initiative.
The Foreign Minister urged to intensify joint efforts with the international community to stop violence and bloodshed in Syria to reach a political solution to achieve the aspirations of the Syrian people and preserve Syria's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity in accordance with Geneva resolutions.
Dr Al Attiyah urged the Libyan people to shoulder national responsibilities and continue dialogue to find a solution and end the state of division.
He also called for supporting the Iraqi government to face terrorist groups, achieve national reconciliation and ensure equality of rights and duties among the Iraqi people.
He underlined the GCC stance on the Iranian nuclear file and the agreement to be concluded with Group 5+1, to be a comprehensive deal that dispels regional and international concerns and avoids any dangers or threats to the Gulf while recognising the right of countries to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
He said the GCC countries are looking forward to cooperating with Iran on the basis of the principles of good-neighbourliness and non-interference in internal affairs, solve disputes by peaceful means and end the occupation of the three UAE islands.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of European Commission Federica Mogherini said the EU is ready to strengthen trade and economic relations with the GCC countries.
The EU is looking forward to more political partnership, especially in light of the serious crisis in the region, she added.
On talks with Iran, Mogherini said the EU is committed to reaching an agreement which guarantees that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons and that it uses its nuclear programme for peaceful purposes only.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.