VZCZCXRO0049
PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHKU #0055/01 0171209
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 171209Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8058

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000055 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KU GCC
SUBJECT: GCC +2 STATEMENT 
 
Secretary Rice met with GCC Foreign Ministers and the Foreign 
 
SIPDIS 
Ministers of Egypt and Jordan on January 16 in Kuwait City. 
Upon conclusion of the meeting, the following statement was 
issued: 
 
BEGIN TEXT OF STATEMENT 
 
Motivated by their shared vision of a stable, peaceful and 
prosperous Middle East, and acting within a framework of 
partnership consistent with the principle of international 
law and the Charter of the United Nations, the foreign 
ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Egypt, 
Jordan and the United States, with the participation of the 
Secretary-General of the GCC, met today in Kuwait City to 
 
SIPDIS 
affirm their commitment to continue their cooperation to 
promote regional security and peace. 
 
The participants affirmed the value of these meetings as a 
means to consult and exchange views and to consider common 
approaches to key issues of the day. 
 
Agreeing that the peace and security of the Middle East 
including the Gulf region are critical to the health of the 
global economy and international stability, and its 
destabilization would threaten the vital national interests 
of all, the participants resolve to continue their 
long-standing cooperation against such threats. The 
participants affirmed that disputes among states should be 
settled peacefully and in accordance with international 
norms, and that relations among all countries should be based 
on mutual respect for the sovereignty and territorial 
integrity of all states, and on the principle of 
noninterference in the internal affairs of other nations. 
 
The participants reiterated their condemnation of terrorism 
in all its forms and manifestations, and reaffirmed the 
February 2005 Riyadh Declaration, which calls for "fostering 
the values of understanding, tolerance, dialogue, 
coexistence, pluralism and the rapprochement between 
cultures...(and) for fighting any form of ideology that 
promotes hatred, incites violence, and condones terrorist 
crimes, which can by no means be accepted by any religion or 
law." 
 
The participants agreed on the following principles on Iraq: 
that a stable, prosperous, and unified Iraq, based on respect 
for Iraq's territorial integrity, unity and sovereignty is in 
the interest of all countries; that efforts to achieve 
national reconciliation that encompasses all elements of 
Iraqi society without excluding any group should be strongly 
supported; that sectarian violence aimed at undermining the 
ability of the Iraqi people to live in peace and security 
should be condemned; and that all militia should be disarmed 
and dismantled. In this vein, the participants expressed 
their collective desire to prevent Iraq from becoming a 
battleground for regional and international powers and urged 
all to help end sectarian violence in Iraq. The ministers 
expressed the hope that the Iraqi government will actively 
engage all components of the Iraqi people in a real political 
process and act in a manner that ensures inclusiveness and 
paves the way for the success of national reconciliation. The 
participants consider that pursuing these objectives is the 
responsibility of the Iraqi government and called for 
amending the constitution accordingly, and expressed their 
readiness to support its efforts in this regard. The 
participants welcomed the commitment by the United States as 
stated in President Bush's recent speech to defend the 
security of the Gulf, the territorial integrity of Iraq, and 
to ensure a successful, fair and inclusive political process 
that engages all Iraqi communities and guarantees the 
stability of the country. 
 
The participants agreed that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict 
remains a central and core problem and that without resolving 
this conflict the region will not enjoy sustained peace and 
stability. The participants affirmed their commitment to 
achieving peace in the Middle East through a two-state 
solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and noted that 
the foundation for such an outcome includes the Arab Peace 
Initiative, UN Security Council resolutions 242, 338, 1397, 
and 1515, and the Road Map. The participants called on the 
parties to abide by and implement previous agreements and 
obligations, including the Agreement on Movement and Access 
and to seek to fulfill their obligations under the Sharm 
el-Sheikh Understandings of 2005. The participants expressed 
their hope that the December 2006 meeting between the 
Palestinian President and the Israeli Prime Minister will be 
followed by concrete steps in this direction. The 
participants welcomed the resumption of the 
Palestinian-Isreali dialogue, and hope that it will lead to a 
full resumption of negotiations aiming at reaching a 
comprehensive peace agreement between them as a step towards 
 
KUWAIT 00000055  002 OF 002 
 
 
achieving comprehensive peace in the Middle East. The 
participants affirmed their commitment to support development 
of the Palestinian economy, building and strengthening the 
institutions of the Palestinian state. 
 
Recognizing the importance of a sovereign, democratic, and 
prosperous Lebanon, the participants pledged their political 
and financial support to Lebanon, and underscored their 
commitment to full implementation of UN Security Council 
resolutions 1559, 1680 and 1701. They called for the respect 
of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political 
independence of Lebanon and for the non-interference in its 
internal affairs. The participants look forward to a 
successful Paris III meeting, which will support Lebanon's 
long term development and fiscal stabilization. Finally, the 
participants strongly condemned all terrorist attacks in 
Lebanon since October 2004, including the assassination of 
former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and most recently of 
Minister Pierre Gemayel, and affirm that all those involved 
in these attacks must be held accountable. 
 
Kuwait, 16 January 2007 
 
END TEXT OF STATEMENT 
 
******************************************** 
For more Embassy Kuwait reporting, see: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s 
 
Or Visit Embassy Kuwait's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ 
******************************************** 
 
LeBaron