GCC, Russian views on Syria different in terms of priorities

First Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah said views of the GCC and Russia "are different in terms of priorities" vis-a-vis the Syrian crisis, but the two sides agreed to continue consultations to reach common grounds. Russia "is a co-sponsor with the US for Geneva II that discusses the developments in Syria, and is a big country with friends and interests in the region, and a permanent member in the Security Council," Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled told a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at GCC Secretary General Abdul-Latif Al-Zayani. Russia, added Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled following the GCC-Russia Strategic Dialogue session, shared responsibility for international peace and security, and has actively contributed to the first and second donors conferences for Syria, which were held in Kuwait, to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people. Sheikh Sabah, who congratulated Russia for the organization of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, said he and Lavrov met with His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah earlier today where the Russian top diplomat conveyed an invitation from President Vladimir Putin to His Highness the Amir to visit Moscow. The meeting with His Highness the Amir dealt with ways of further boosting bilateral relations, he said. Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled said the strategic dialogue aimed at strengthening cooperation and relations with Russia "as one of the strategic partners" of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. He added that the GCC and Russia share the views about the Arab-Israeli conflict, and that comprehensive, just and lasting peace would not be achieved but after Israel's full withdrawal from Arab territories occupied in 1967, and establishing the independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital in line with relevant UN resolutions and Arab peace initiative. Russia and the GCC, said Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled, called on the international community to continue its support to the Palestinian people's peaceful endeavors to regain their legitimate rights. Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled welcomed the interim agreement signed by Iran and the P5+1 group, signed in Geneva last November 24. Thee agreement, he added, was a first step towards a comprehensive accordover Iran's nuclear program "in order to address the international and regional concerns over this program thus boost international security and peace."