Bahrain FM condemns Hezbollah's involvement in Syria

Bahraini Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ghanem Al-Buainain said on Sunday the "blatant" interference of Lebanon's Hezbollah in Syria has exposed the group's real positions and terrorist practices, while urging Iran to show goodwill toward the GCC member states. Speaking at a joint news conference with Secretary General of the GCC Abdulatif Al-Zayani, Al-Buainain, who is also the chairman of the current session of the GCC Ministerial Council, said the designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization was a "technical and procedural matter." "Hezbollah is not a political party, but it is an armed and terrorist organization," he said, adding that the Lebanese group's activities in the region's countries should be exposed due to relevant impacts on Lebanon and the Arab world. Commenting on an EU decision to list the military wing of the group as a terrorist group, he said: "In fact, Hezbollah is organically interconnected and a politically and militarily integrated unit." On Iran, he said the GCC member countries had persistently offered cooperative initiatives based on good neighborliness and dissuaded from adopting any hostile attitude towards the Iranian government or people. Regrettably, such initiatives were only met by Iran's nonstop provocations, continuation of the UAE islands, support for unrest in the GCC countries and interference in Arab affairs, he said. He urged Iran to show goodwill toward the GCC member states, making it certain that should Tehran do so, then the GCC countries would surely give a positive response. On a planned Gulf Union in lieu of the GCC, the Bahraini minister said most GCC member countries have offered favorable visions towards the Saudi King's call for turning the GCC into a union. Relevant discussions among the GCC countries have made much progress, and outcomes are to be considered at a special summit due to be held in Riyadh, he noted. The GCC countries are dealing with the suggested Gulf Unity initiative in a reasonable manner through careful discussions and deliberations, he said, adding that the initiative is always a key item on the agenda of all GCC ministerial meetings. On Syria, he reiterated the GCC's full support for the Syrian opposition coalition's lately voiced position on the Geneva II Conference on Syria. The Bahraini minister said the GCC members had initially backed the provision of weapons to "Syrian resistance." The goal of supplying weapons to Syrian opposition groups is to help the Syrian people in defending themselves, he reaffirmed. On GCC-Yemen relations, the chairman of the current session of the GCC Ministerial Council said the ministerial council has decided to upgrade its office's representation in Yemen to a diplomatic mission so as to reactivate administrative and diplomatic communication with the Yemeni government. During the meeting, Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Al-Qirbi briefed the ministers on the latest developments of the second stage of the Gulf initiative purposed to ensure security and stability in Yemen. For his part, Secretary General of the GCC Abdulatif Al-Zayani said the ministerial council has decided to take action against Hezbollah owing to its involvement in Syria. He said the GCC member countries were following up on the situation in Syria with the Arab League. The GCC chief reaffirmed the Gulf bloc's support for the Arab League's ongoing efforts to put an end to the Syrian crisis.