JEDDAH: GCC interior ministers met in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and agreed to set up a joint police force. “Security chiefs of member countries will meet soon to complete studies on all aspects of the force,” a final communiqué said after the meeting.
The ministers from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and the UAE also agreed to set up a permanent security committee to oversee the safety of industries and other vital installations.“We should also renew the security agreements among the GCC member countries to cope with new developments,” the communiqué quoted the ministers as saying.A special panel will prepare the new draft agreement.
Deputy Interior Minister Prince Ahmad represented the Kingdom at the meeting, which was presided over by Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, UAE deputy premier and interior minister.The meeting reiterated the solidarity of GCC countries. “The security of Gulf Cooperation Council is a single entity and any threat to the security of a member country would be considered as a threat to the GCC as a whole,” the communiqué said.The meeting welcomed the launch of an international counterterrorism center in New York, which was proposed by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah during an anti-terror conference in Riyadh in 2005.
“We hope the establishment of the center would contribute to tackling the reasons for terrorism, root out the phenomenon and strengthen global efforts to reinforce world peace and stability,” it said.The ministers also denounced the attempt to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the US and said it was a clear violation of international charters and agreements. They backed the measures taken by Saudi Arabia against the criminal act.
The meeting praised the Qatari government for its generous support to the GCC criminal information center to fight drugs. They commended the Saudi security forces for their efforts to foil attempts to smuggle huge quantities of drugs into the Kingdom.The GCC meeting congratulated Crown Prince Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior, on his new appointment.The meeting reviewed security coordination and cooperation among the six countries in wake of new developments in the region. It reiterated the group’s resolve to eliminate all forms of terrorism and extremism. – Arabnews
