United States President Barack Obama and the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Thursday said there was a need to remain vigilant about the Iranian regime’s destabilizing actions in the Gulf region, including its ballistic missile program, and support for terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and extremist proxies in Syria, Yemen and Lebanon.
In a joint communiqué, the GCC leaders and Obama, who convened in Riyadh for the 2nd GCC-U.S. summit, pledged to increase cooperation on all fronts to resolve regional conflicts, intensify information sharing on Iran, boost marine security cooperation and implement an integrated ballistic missile defense and early warning system.
They expressed solidarity with the Syrian people and emphasized the importance of the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2254, to include immediate humanitarian access to besieged and hard-to-reach areas and the release of any arbitrarily detained persons.
They reaffirmed the need for a political transition without Bashar Assad that preserves state institutions and sustains renewed focus on the fight against Daesh (ISIL, ISIS, Islamic State), Arab News reported.
