The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has urged Iran to refrain from meddling in the affairs of the Gulf States in the best interest of the Iran-GCC relations and for maintaining peace and security in the region.
Briefing newsmen after a consultative meeting of GCC leaders in Riyadh on Monday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said "Iran should keep out of the Kingdom's relations with Bahrain, even if the two States decide to form a union. Iran has nothing to do with what happens between the two countries, even if it develops into a unity."
The meeting presided over by Saudi monarch King Abdullah agreed to give more time to work out details of the proposed Gulf Union. The GCC would continue discussions on a possible union of the six nations of the GCC, but any such plan would take time, Prince Saud said. The leaders have approved a plan for further study on the issue and finalize the results before the the next summit.
"The issue will take time... The aim is for all countries to join, not just two or three," he added. Hence, the GCC leaders agreed to allow time for "further discussions over the proposed Gulf Union," Prince Saud was quoted by Arab media as saying.
Iranian lawmakers earlier on Monday had condemned a reported plan for union between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. "The Iranian threat is not acceptable," Prince Saud said. About 190 Iranian parliamentarians have signed a letter criticizing the Gulf States' plan to forge a Gulf Union.
"The Gulf Arab leaders discussed the plan in detail for a closer political union to protect themselves from the ugly uprisings in the region and face up to Tehran's influence," said a GCC official.
The proposal to forge closer political alliance and eventually to create a Gulf Union topped the deliberations in the light of the results of the first meeting of the special commission formed by the GCC States to study the proposal," said a GCC press statement released after the meeting.
The GCC has been considering a framework for expanding the bloc into a tighter political organization for several months. The GCC consultative meeting also discussed key regional issues of common concern. The summit expressed support for the unity of the Arab ranks and the achievement of the Arab solidarity.
The GCC leaders also discussed the latest developments in the region and the report of an expert committee to change the 31-year-old alliance into a union," said a GCC spokesman. Saudi Arabia has also been extolling the merits of the union as a vital necessity to confront security threats and political and economic challenges in an increasingly changing world.
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