Gulf states will not support US efforts to isolate Iran.

By Mohammed Almezel, Deputy Managing Editor

Doha: Gulf states will not go along with the United States in its pursuit to isolate or impose sanctions on Iran over its controversial nuclear programme, a top Qatari official said on Tuesday.

"We cannot afford to follow certain international strategies that could harm our interests," Qatari Prime Minister Shaikh Hamad Bin Jasem Al Thani told reporters following the conclusion of the GCC summit here, when asked about the current tension between the US and Iran.

He declined to comment on Monday's US intelligence report which said Iran had halted its nuclear weapons programme in 2003.

"We don't have any information on the Iranian programme except what the Iranians and the International Atomic Energy Agency say that it is a peaceful project, to which we believe they have the right."

Shaikh Hamad, who was addressing a joint press conference with GCC Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Al Attiyah, said Iran was "a neighbourly state, with which we have strong ties, especially on the economic level."

The summit's final communique said the six Gulf states called for "a peaceful resolution to the [Iran] crisis and urged Tehran to continue its talks with the international community."

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was a guest at the summit. He addressed the meeting on Monday proposing a number of joint projects to reinforce ties with the GCC, including economic and security programmes.
"His proposals are positive and the meetings he held here ... are signs of goodwill. We will study those proposals and some of them can be done bilaterally," Shaikh Hamad said.

However, he added, there are Iranian policies the GCC cannot agree with such as their attitude to the issue of the UAE islands.
According to the summit's final communique, Iran is being urged by the Gulf leaders to "respond positively to the UAE efforts to solve the issue by either direct negotiations or resorting to the International Court of Justice."
Shaikh Hamad said there was no need for mediation between the UAE and Iran. "Why would they need it? They talk to each other regularly. The two leaders also met here [on Monday]."

Iraq's integrity

Meanwhile, the communique said Iraq's "unity, territorial integrity, independence and its Arab and Muslim identity must be respected."

It said the leaders thought the national reconciliation was "a fundamental demand to achieve stability," in the US-occupied country. Without referring to the US occupation, the leaders demanded the Iraqi government "speed up the constitutional amendments and disarm the militias."

The summit also hoped the recent US-sponsored peace conference would "achieve positive results" in the Middle East.

It called for "a mechanism to monitor the negotiations [between the Palestinians and the Israelis] to insure both parties abide by their mutual commitments ... and stay committed to the end of 2008 deadline."

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