GCC Summit to Bear Fruit: Khalifa

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The President of the UAE, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said pointedly that the summit would review the steps that the GCC had taken to ward off the global financial crisis and make the regional economies further immune.

“The summit will review steps taken by the GCC states in this respect and study any complementary measures that can immunise the GCC economies against any possible complications,” he said in an interview to Kuwaiti news agency KUNA.

He said that these regional economies were equally flexible and vibrant, both in the production and services sectors, an attribute that had helped them overcome the general impact of the crisis.

“The GCC states are not an isolated land and their inter-relationship with the world make them have an effect on global political and economic events and also be affected,” he said.

“The GCC states discussed the technical aspect of the crisis to contain the potential impact,” he said. “Politically, the GCC sought to galvanise a common stance through regional and international conferences and forums.”

“The GCC states will continue their efforts to overcome all the impacts of the crisis to ensure smooth running and stability in development,” he said, looking to the future.

“They (GCC states) maintained an acceptable rate of growth and solved some woes like inflation and high cost of living,” Shaikh Khalifa said.

“The summit will be taking place amid a raft of regional and international challenges,” he said. “Accordingly, we are determined to (adopt) resolutions that are up to the challenges and compatible with the regional changes and developments.”

He drew a caveat here: “We should bear in mind that the GCC does not work away from other regional and international powers and circles. The aim of the summit is to crystalise common GCC stances towards the current challenges to have the aspired impact.”

He clarified the summit was not held in reaction to events. “Since the birth of the GCC, we hold regular summits as a show of the healthy condition of (our) joint action,” he said. “It also underlines our sustained efforts for bolstering cooperation.”

“Social bonds, meshed family ties, territorial integrity (and) relative similarity in many basics of political life, identical economic and productive structures and common social and cultural legacy have immuned the GCC against shocks,” he noted. “We are confident that the rich experience, wisdom, knowledge and ability of my brother, His Highness Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah, the Amir of Kuwait, will make it easier for us to achieve what our peoples are waiting for and what dreams they pin on us. The ability of Kuwaitis in organising events and their determination to create adequate environment will add special flavour to the summit.” he said.

 

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