ARAB AFFAIRS - May 15 - Palestinians Urged To End Fighting.

Leaders of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states call on Palestinian groups to abide by their agreement signed in Makkah and demand that those responsible for the renewed clashes be held accountable. Fourteen people were killed in clashes between loyalists of President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction and PM Ismail Haniyeh's Hamas movement as a cease-fire announced failed to take hold. Interior Minister Hani Al-Qawasmeh resigned from his post in the Palestinian unity government on May 17 in protest over the violence. The Gulf leaders also expressed sorrow and grief at the escalation of violence in Iraq and the deterioration of the security situation there. They called on the Iraqi government to alter its constitution, distribute wealth fairly and disarm militias immediately. They warned against any foreign interference in Iraqi matters. The leaders also expressed regret over the fact that nothing had been done to end the political crisis in Lebanon. They called on Lebanese factions to unite for the sake of their country. The leaders welcomed the visit by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad to the UAE on May 17. "We hope the Iranian president's historic visit to the UAE would help reach a solution to the three disputed UAE islands, especially after assurances by the UAE and America that both countries were ready to discuss the matter directly", a statement released after the meeting said. According to GCC Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah, the leaders talked about Iran's willingness to develop its relations with Gulf countries, especially on the economic and trade fronts. The leaders conveyed their condolences to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on the deaths of Makkah Gov. Prince Abdul Majeed and Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal. Al-Attiyah said that they had briefly discussed the outcome of US Vice President Dick Cheney's visit to the Kingdom and the UAE but did not go into details due to lack of time. He did not confirm or deny that the leaders had spoken about the possibility of a US military strike on Iran's nuclear reactors. "There is a common policy that GCC states do not support military actions", he said in reply to a question on the matter. On a request from King Abdullah to discuss matters of regional and international concern, leaders of the GCC countries - Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Oman - gathered in Al-Darieya Palace for the 9th GCC Consultative Meeting. The meeting was chaired by King Abdullah as the Kingdom holds the current presidency of the GCC. Attending the meeting from the Saudi side were Crown Prince Sultan, Riyadh Gov. Prince Salman, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs Prince Miteb, FM Prince Saud Al-Faisal and head of Saudi intelligence Prince Muqrin. According to the statement released at the end of the meeting, the leaders expressed their happiness over the reaction of the relaunched Arab peace initiative declared in the 19th Arab summit. They hoped the initiative would pave the way for establishing peace in the region. Briefing reporters, Al-Attiyah said the leaders had reached three important resolutions. First, the Gulf leaders have urged ministers concerned to remove all obstacles to the establishment of a Gulf Customs Union before the yearend. It is scheduled to be launched at the next GCC summit in Muscat. Secondly, they urged that all obstacles be removed and that measures quickly taken to complete the establishment of the Common Market to be announced at the Muscat meeting. Thirdly, they announced a unified water project. The leaders requested the GCC Secretariat General to prepare a full study on the project to be presented at the Muscat summit. "The unified water project will involve all six GCC countries. A preliminary budget has been assigned to it and we have already begun preparing the report", Al-Attiyah said. Regarding the GCC nuclear program announced at the Riyadh summit last year, Al-Attiyah said that the leaders had agreed to begin preparing a preliminary report of the program in full compliance with UN guidelines. The report would be tabled at the next summit. "A special team of experts on the matter will meet at the GCC Secretariat General on May 20. This will be followed by another meeting with officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency", he said. The secretary-general said that the leaders had not discussed the unified Gulf currency during their meeting, but that the deadline remained the same at 2010, adding that further GCC meetings would discuss the topic. He said that there would be a special meeting of GCC monetary agencies this October to discuss the progress in all member states. Al-Attiyah said that GCC leaders were keen on implementing all resolutions reached at the Al-Jaber summit and earlier summits for the prosperity of GCC citizens. He said that the UAE and Oman had implemented all the GCC resolutions. "The rest of the GCC countries have implemented up to 80 percent of the resolutions", he said.