Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) condemned the Israeli aggression on Iran and urged all parties to exercise restraint and halt the war to avoid a dangerous slide into a wider conflict.

Jassim Albudaiwi, secretary general of GCC, said this in a statement following the 48th extraordinary meeting of the GCC Ministerial Council held via video conference on Monday. Abdullah Al-Yahya, Kuwait's minister of foreign affairs and chairman of the current session of the Ministerial Council, chaired the meeting, which was attended by the GCC foreign ministers. The meeting decided to activate the Emergency Management Center to prevent environmental and radiological hazards.

Albudaiwi said that the meeting reviewed that the region has been witnessing an extremely dangerous and unprecedented escalation in recent days due to the attacks by the Israeli occupation forces on Iran and the response by Iran. "This has heightened tensions in the region and opened the door to disturbing scenarios, undermining the prospects for political processes and leading to the collapse of dialogue and diplomatic efforts," he said. The GCC chief emphasized that the Gulf countries remain committed to calming tensions, enabling to start dialogue, and preventing a slide into any conflict that threatens the stability of the Gulf and the world.

The meeting underlined the need to avoid a dangerous slide into a wider conflict of which the outcomes will be unpredictable and uncontrollable. The meeting discussed the repercussions and challenges that may face GCC countries as a result of these rapid developments. These include the implications of any escalation that may affect nuclear facilities, given its potential impact on the regional environment and vital infrastructure. These repercussions could also extend to the economy, disrupt supply chains, trade and energy flows, and threaten the safety of vital waterways.

Albudaiwi said that the GCC meeting has decided to activate the GCC Emergency Management Center to take all necessary preventive measures at all environmental and radiological levels, and to closely monitor technical indicators in these critical circumstances. This is in line with the implementation of the Supreme Council's directives to strengthen emergency response systems in the context of the potentially serious technical and environmental repercussions of any targeting of nuclear facilities. This is done in full coordination with the competent authorities in member states and through early warning systems.

Albudaiwi noted that technical indicators so far remain within the safe range, and there is no cause for concern. He emphasized that the state of full alert remains in place to ensure the highest levels of preparedness and to reinforce the ongoing vigilance as required by the situation.