ARAB AFFAIRS - Dec 21 - GCC Summit Fails To Elaborate On US Trade Row.

The 25th Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Bahrain ends without elaborating on Saudi-Bahraini differences concerning Bahrain's free trade agreement with the US. The final statement agreed upon by all six member states was made public by GCC Sec Gen, Abdul Rahman Al Attiyah. He said: Regarding the relationship of the GCC countries with other countries, the High Council has taken into consideration developments regarding the matter which happened in 2004 and the deals that have been made to establish free trade zones, in addition to other economic agreements between GCC member states and other countries". Upon arrival in Riyadh from Manama, Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, expressed the hope that the outcome of the summit would benefit the people of the region. "I pray to the Almighty Allah that the summit would succeed in serving the entire peoples of the Gulf", he was quoted by the Saudi Press Agency as saying. In reply to a question about attempts by some to blow up the signing of unilateral trade agreements by some GCC states, he said: We would settle for what has been issued by the summit. God willing, everything will be all right". The Higher Council thanked the king of Bahrain, who presided over the summit, and congratulated him and his government on the state's 33rd national day. The kingdom of Bahrain and its people were wished prosperity, peace and development. The council also expressed its deep sadness at the death of Shaikh Zayed ibn Sultan Al Nahayan, who died last month, expressing solidarity with the people of the UAE at the loss of their beloved leader. The council approved King Hamad's naming this summit the "Zayed Summit". It also welcomed Shaikh Khalifa ibn Zayed Al-Nahayan as president of the UAE and expressed its confidence that his wisdom would contribute much to the participation and support of the UAE in the GCC. The council also expressed its sadness over the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat who spent his life struggling for the Palestinian people to establish an independent country of their own on Palestinian soil. It conveyed deepest sympathies to the Palestinian people and to the Arab and Islamic world. The Higher Council reviewed recommendations and took the following decisions: In an effort to support Gulf citizenship and to provide insurance protection for the citizens of the GCC who work outside the Gulf, the council agreed for insurance coverage for pension as well as social security cover for all GCC citizens who work outside their countries. The families of the citizens are also included in the insurance and pension coverage. The council also welcomed the law issued by King Hamad which allows all original GCC citizens to set up any business venture or establishment agreed on in the council in Bahrain, as part of its support to GCC citizenship. On the issue of establishing a railway link between member states, the council has ordered that the studies on that issue be completed. Regarding the smart GCC card that would be a unified identity card for GCC citizens enabling them to travel freely between member states, the council has ordered that the project be completed and the necessary procedures be taken for its implementation. It did not specify a date when the smart card would be issued. Protection of the environment and working together to preserve wildlife and natural habitats was also highlighted. It also stressed the importance of public awareness and training of domestic human resources to strengthen public awareness of environmental pollution and the dangers it poses to the region's natural resources. The council agreed on extending the implementation of the Muscat Law as a counseling body for issuing unified Civil Status document for another four years so that other member states would be given the maximum time to benefit from the law. It also agreed on extending the Riyadh Document for a unified law system for criminal records between GCC states as a pre-stage document until the final draft can be issued. As for military co-operation between GCC states, the council expressed its satisfaction with current co-operation. On the security co-operation front, the council said it had looked into a detailed document that specifies the procedures taking place in every member state, in addition to exchanging information and intelligence and co-operation between security forces. It expressed its satisfaction with decisions taken on that front. The leaders of the summit condemned terror in all its forms, regardless of the reasons and motives behind it. They stressed the need for a unified GCC stance to combat terror and to deny it access to resources. The council also asked for a differentiation between terror and the legitimate right of people to resist occupation according to international agreements. The council condemned the attack on the US Consulate in Jeddah. It expressed its condolences to the families of the deceased and praised the action of the Saudi security forces. It confirmed support for the government of Saudi Arabia in its efforts to combat terrorism and to stabilize security and stability in the country, saying that all world religions condemn such brutal inhuman attacks on innocent people and specifying at the same time that Islam is a religion which promotes peace, mercy and acceptance of others and rejects the killing or injuring of innocent people. On the private sector's role in building bridges between GCC citizens, the council said it had reviewed trade obstacles between member states as well as issues related to youth and youth welfare and have assigned the concerned ministries to produce necessary measures for implementation. The council also agreed that the Counseling Committee for the Higher Council continue its work by evaluating the advances of the GCC summit over the past 23 years and advised the Counseling Committee to discuss "terrorism" as next year's subject. On the co-operation of media between GCC states, the Council said the views given by the ministers of information which were approved by the Council in its 23rd session two years ago should be implemented. On the matter of Iraq, the council expressed its great concerns over the escalating violence in Iraq and the effect that would have on the people of Iraq as well as on the basic Iraqi infrastructure.