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Riyadh to host GCC Consultative Summit tomorrow

RIYADH, May 4 (KUNA) -- Riyadh will host tomorrow the 15th annual consultative summit of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders; a crucial top-level meeting that coincides with critical developments at the regional level.
It will be chaired by The Custodian of Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, with participation of His Highness the Amir (of Kuwait) Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahamd Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and other GCC countries' top leaders.
GCC leaders will tackle means of bolstering joint cooperation at political, economic and security levels; will also discuss Arab, regional and international issues of common interest.
The leaders their one-day summit during a critical period of time, thus they are forecast to examine in particular issues of national security and stability in the region, namely the Yemeni crisis and external powers' intervention in the GCC domestic affairs.
The GCC member states' leaders hold the consultative bi-annual meeting to evaluate mutual cooperation and joint actions. They hold official summits, usually in December each year, alternatively in one of the GCC states' capitals.
The GCC ministerial council, which gathers the GCC Foreign ministers, held a preparatory meeting for this consultative summit at Riyadh Air base last Thursday, with participation of Kuwait's First Deputy Minister, Minister of Foreign affairs Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.
The GCC Secretary General said in a statement, at conclusion of the ministerial meeting, that its results were referred to the top GCC leaders for examination at the consultative summit.
Yemen tops the summit's agenda, besides the Iranian nuclear file, the Syrian crisis and the Palestinian cause.
The GCC first consultative summit was held in 1999 in Jeddah, with participation of leaders of all member states.
The GCC was founded in early 80s in shadow of a regional war between Iran and Iraq, with aim of bolstering inter-GCC security and defense.
It groups Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. (end) yms.lb