This came in a speech delivered by Sheikh Mohammad on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on the item on Iraq during the 18th EU-GCC meetings currently being convened here.
Sheikh Mohammad said that despite the relative improvement in the security situation in Iraq, the Council looks forward "to continuing efforts for the success of the peace process that would lay the constitutional foundations that satisfy all spectrums of the Iraqi people." He welcomed, on behalf of the GCC states, the positive results of the third expanded meeting of Iraq’s neighboring countries that was held in Kuwait with participation of representatives from 29 countries and international organizations, stressing the need to follow up the significant decisions listed in the final communique which would assist in the return of security and stability in Iraq.
He praised the great effort exerted by the EU in supporting the Iraqi people through offering humanitarian aid and economic assistance, in addition to the full support of the Iraq reconstruction fund which would work on the rehabilitation of Iraq in all different areas.
Sheikh Mohammad asserted the need to preserve Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and rejection of all that may lead to its fragmentation and the importance of working effectively to help Iraq regain its vital role in the region.
He emphasized the necessity of commitment of all states to respect the unity, sovereignty and independence of Iraq, in addition to its Arab and Islamic identity, refusal of interference in its internal affairs and the objectiof any plan for dividing it.
