By KUNA
Doha : Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani opened the 28th Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit here on Monday in the presence of all leaders and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad.
Speaking at the opening session, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifah Al-Thani warned against the dangers threatening the Gulf region and the world. “They are dangers that not only affect security but also the means of progress, the levels of production, standards of living and welfare and all aspects of life in today’s world. Security and development are two faces of the same coin.” The Qatari leader said the region is going through a series of crises, ranging from the Iranian nuclear program to the military presence in the Gulf, the situation in Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon and the growing threat of terrorism.
He said countries in the region “would understand that all these situations cannot endure more pressures, otherwise they would be out of control.” “We want all to understand – and for the good of all- that this region deserves to be kept secure, peaceful and prosperous in the interest of humanity at large,” he said.
Sheikh Hamad voiced his wish that all regional parties reconsider their positions before it’s too late “because the disputable claims are not served by rushing to mutual intimidation and hatred campaigns that provoke anger and deepen suspicions, or by taking uncalculated risks that lead to unwanted consequences.” On the GCC 28-year-old march, he said that the council’s achievements, though important, are still below expectations of Gulf peoples, calling on his fellow leaders to double their efforts to realize the ambitions of their people.
He said that Gulf states over the years have made great achievements in many fields, but noted that they were lagging behind in scientific research. “Real progress requires that we become a source of knowledge in its various aspects and being capable of developing it and not merely consuming it.” Sheikh Hamad said that the agenda of the two-day summit includes a number of political, economic and security issues.