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NATO Chief excludes role in Iranian issues

PARIS, July 7 (KUNA) --  NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer on Monday excluded any role for his organization in the ongoing problem with Iran, even if this should deteriorate.
"NATO is not seeking or playing any role in the Iranian dossier," the NATO Chief said in answer to a KUNA question relative to agreements the Defence Organization had signed in the Gulf Region, notably with the majority of GCC countries.
Scheffer, speaking on the sidelines of a European Union-NATO meeting here, went on to explain that NATOs interest was in "looking for ways for political cooperation and political dialogue with the GCC." He remarked that this cooperation was taking place through Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI), which was born in Turkey in 2004 and had been extended by further conferences and agreements, notably a major conference in Kuwait in December 2006 and another in the UAE last year and a seminar in Bahrain following that gathering.
Of the six GCC members, only Oman and Saudi Arabia are not part of the ICI. (End) jk.bz.
KUNA 071618 Jul 08NNNN