DUBAI: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) opened its annual summit in Abu Dhabi on Monday as member states expect to focus on security, Iran and a unified currency for the Arab Gulf region. The two-day meeting is to address the issue of Tehran's nuclear program and the long-standing territorial dispute between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iran over three islands in the Gulf, a statement from the opening session said. In his opening statements to the summit, the Kuwaiti emir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, called on Iran to “solve the crisis surrounding its nuclear issue through dialogue and peaceful methods” in order to maintain the security of the region. The GCC includes the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman. The meeting comes a day after the UAE announced it would upgrade its missile defense system as they view Iran as a growing threat to the region. “The threat of attack of long-range ballistic missiles is real,” the deputy chief of the UAE armed forces, Major General Mohamed Suhaih al-Kaabi, said Sunday. Classified documents released by online whistleblower WikiLeaks last week revealed that Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah encouraged Washington to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, which lie in close proximity to the GCC members. Summit delegates are expected to pick up on the question of the need for unified currency, which was agreed a year ago, but without much progress since. BM
