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GCC must work as bloc with world -- Bahraini FM

By Talal Al-Kandiri BAKU, June 8 (KUNA) -- Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmad Al-Khalifa stressed Friday that it was important for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to work as a bloc with countries of the world.
The Bahraini premier was speaking to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on the sidelines a tour he embarked on with Kuwait's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah. The tour took them to South Korea where they participated in the 6th Asian Cooperation Dialogue Forum, then to Uzbekistan and now Azerbaijan.
"We have long wished to work together at the political level with the rest of the world, and my brother Sheikh Mohammad and I are doing this now with no obstacles," he said.
He added that this tour was not the first for the two officials, as they had visited China together in the past.
The tour, he said, "affirms that we are one bloc and share a common vision ... our meetings may be separate at times, but we express the unified stance of the GCC." Asked about the Asian Cooperation Dialogue Forum, Sheikh Khalid said it differed from other regional unions and groups which were politically-based, citing as an example the African Union which had such unresolved issues as the Western Sahara because the union was built on a political basis.
The Asian forum, he explained, began its work with such topics as poverty, energy, climate change, culture, information exchange and digital communication, all of which impact the daily lives of people and improve them, thus pushing forth development.
From this standpoint, Sheikh Khalid said the Asian forum got off on a better foot, adding that he was optimistic that it would achieve its goals.
As for Bahrain's participation in the sixth forum meeting in Seoul, South Korea, he said the Gulf state's proposal for suspending new forum memberships till 2010 was approved, explaining that this allowed experts to place mechanisms for achieving forum goals and financing means.
Sheikh Khalid said that previously, it was proposed that memberships would continue to be accepted until 2010 and then suspended for five years after that, but this would have hindered the work of the experts.
The Bahraini foreign minister said the idea was in fact first proposed by his Kuwaiti counterpart.
Moreover, Bahrain welcomed the proposal over information transfer, adding that there was a need to review the concept of illiteracy, which referred to those who could not read and write, noting that in this modern age, this term would be better suited for those who could not deal with digital equipment and computers.
Information technology must be focused on, he stressed.
On climate change, the Bahraini foreign minister said it was a critical issue that affected many ways of life, including agriculture, temperature, and water resources.
Bahrain has proposed to host a seminar on climate change for field experts in early 2008, and preparations are underway, he said.
Sheikh Khalid welcomed the proposal for reinvesting returns from energy trade of members of the Asian forum in order to guarantee growth and sustainable development in Asia, saying that this was in the interest of everyone.
"We want to elevate our societies to better standards in terms of information technology, and we need more financing for studies and research," he said.
The Asian Cooperation Dialogue Forum was established in 2002 and its meetings are held annually. (end) tm.ema KUNA 080936 Jun 07NNNN