GCC summons Iraq envoy over Bahrain remarks

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Abdullatif Al-Zayani yesterday summoned the Iraqi Charge d’Affaires in Riyadh, Ahmad Anwar Abdul-Hameed, following a statement by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry on a recent judicial ruling in Bahrain, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The GCC protested against remarks by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry on the ruling against a Bahraini citizen who broke the law, the GCC Secretariat said in a statement.

SPA said the GCC member states expressed “deep concern” over the Iraqi Foreign Ministry statement which comprised “fallacies that violate the established diplomatic norms, and constitute a blatant interference in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain and an encroachment on the independence of the Bahraini judiciary and national sovereignty, in violation of the Charters of the Arab League and the UN as well as principles of good neighbours.”

The GCC denounced what the Iraqi statement said would have “repercussions on the stability of Bahrain and the region” as an “unconstructive approach that could harm GCC-Iraq ties and runs contrary to efforts by the bloc to consolidate security and stability in the region”.