RIYADH: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Sunday urged the international community to pressure Iran to respect the UN Charter, stop providing ballistic missiles to Houthi rebels in Yemen to attack Saudi Arabia, and stop meddling in the affairs of Arab states.
“The GCC countries want a Middle East free from all weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons,” said Secretary-General Abdullatif Al-Zayani, adding that Iran has been using its resources to destabilize the region despite a struggling economy.
If Tehran wants regional security, it should meet certain requirements, including “the completion of the nuclear file in terms of inspection, not providing terrorists with ballistic missiles, respecting UN Security Council resolutions and non-interference in neighboring countries,” he said.
The Gulf initiative to resolve the Yemeni crisis has received support from Arab, regional and international countries, Al-Zayani added.
He welcomed the assistance provided by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief) to the Yemeni people.
The GCC Supreme Council has directed all GCC agencies to work individually and with international agencies to rehabilitate and promote Yemen’s economy with the aim of integrating it with that of the Gulf, he said.
Dr. Ibrahim Al-Qayid, a founding member of the National Society for Human Rights, said: “Iran has been supporting militant and terrorist groups across the Middle East since the enactment of the 2015 nuclear deal.”
He added: “Tehran provides funds and weapons to groups throughout the Middle East, in addition to extending all support to networks of operatives across the globe to launch terrorist attacks.”
Iran has the largest number of ballistic missiles in the Middle East, evidenced by attacks on Saudi Arabia from Yemeni soil, Al-Qayid said.
Meanwhile, the GCC said Kuwait will host an important meeting of its Financial and Economic Cooperation Committee.
The meeting, which will be chaired by Kuwaiti Finance Minister Dr. Nayef Falah Al-Hajraf, will be attended by Al-Zayani and member states’ ministers of finance and economy.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabian forces have reached the Yemeni island of Socotra, the Arab coalition announced through Al-Ekhbariya channel.
The presence of the forces on the island is to train and support Yemeni forces. The coalition said the forces were deployed after coordination with the legitimate Yemeni government.
The move comes after Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi praised the Arab coalition’s constant support for the legitimacy in Yemen and for the Yemeni people.
