[February 24, 2006] GCC fears Iran nuclear activities Tweet (Gulf News Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Abu Dhabi: Leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council concluded their 26th summit here on Monday, calling for a Middle East, including the Gulf region, free from weapons of mass destruction and urged Iran to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). "We have a legitimate fear" of Iran's nuclear programme, Rashid Abdullah, UAE Foreign Minister, told reporters at a press conference with Abdul Rahman Al Attiyah, Secretary General of the GCC. "The GCC states are very close to the Iranian nuclear reactor in Bushehr and don't have the necessary protection in case of radioactive leakage," he said. The final communique called upon the international community to ensure that the Middle East is free of weapons of mass destruction and exert pressure on Israel to allow international inspection on its nuclear facilities. The two-day summit, which was chaired by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, adopted for the first time a unified GCC trade policy and a declaration of the need to modernise education systems. "The adoption of the unified policy of trade with the outside world is one of the most important decisions," Al Attiyah said. He said the meeting also approved rules to set up the Monetary Union and studied plans of railway and water network projects. Education reforms were high on the agenda, Al Attiyah added. "The member states are interested in developing an education system compatible with the needs of the future," he said. "This has nothing to do with any external pressure." In the Abu Dhabi Declaration, the leaders said it was necessary to develop national human resources in the education sector to "create a generation that is conscious of its heritage and values and able to absorb future developments." [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]