Interview with the new GCC Secretary-General

Interview with the new GCC Secretary-General

As GCC Secretary-General and the first Bahraini and first military man to take office, HE Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani hopes to usher political and social reform.

April 3, 2011 1:11 by Precious de Leon

• Thirdly, the GCC states are sovereign states and the sovereignty of each one of them must be preserved, as well as their national territories.

• Fourthly, the UAE has chosen a peaceful approach in its foreign relations and has opted for peaceful resolutions to its problems in the international arena; it has been supported in this regard by the GCC states and the Arab League.

• Fifthly, the UAE has offered proposals to resolve its dispute with the Islamic Republic of Iran peacefully.

• Sixthly, with regards the Iranian nuclear programme, Iran has the right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. Iran’s conflict with western countries and superpowers can be resolved via peaceful negotiations and reassuring the Arab Gulf countries about their safety and non-exposure to nuclear radiation and pollution of the Gulf waters.

Q. How do you assess joint Gulf action? And what are your aspirations for the future?

A. There can be no doubt that joint Gulf action has achieved several goals over the years. If we view it objectively, we will find a great amount of joint action, including the Gulf Common Market, the Al-Jazeera Shield force, defense and security strategies, equal rights for travel, labour and residence visas for Gulf citizens across the GCC States.

As for my ambitions, they consist of making every citizen feel that joint action benefits them, if this is achieved, citizens will support and reinforce joint action.

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