In a closing statement read on Kuwait television by Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary General Abdul Rahman al-Attiya, the GCC states underlined the importance of safeguarding Iraqi civilians and "reaffirm the importance of Iraqis running all of the affairs of their country."

"In this regard, the GCC believes it is time for the international community, represented by the United Nations, to move quickly and effectively to guarantee the future of Iraq, its sovereignty, the unity of its territory and the safety of its people," the statement said.

The one-day meeting, called by Kuwait, was held to focus on the prospects for post-war Iraq.

The GCC states also condemned a barrage of Iraqi missile attacks on Kuwait during the first 12 days of the war and stressed their full support for measures taken by the emirate to protect its security.

Iraq fired some 19 projectiles at Kuwait, with only one landing in the heart of the capital, slightly injuring two people and causing limited damage to the country's largest and most popular shopping mall.

Kuwait's First Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah said during his opening statement that the US-led war on Iraq was "the result of the stubbornness of the Iraqi regime and its refusal to implement UN resolutions, including 1441" on disarmament.

"The Iraqi regime has persisted with its aggressive attitude toward Kuwait since the start of the war by launching 19 missiles at the emirate," said Sheikh Sabah, whose country has been the launchpad for the US-British invasion of Iraq.

Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani earlier also called for "a quick end to the military operations (in Iraq) and a halt to the bloodshed to prevent further losses among innocent civilians."

GCC states support "the preservation of the independence, the sovereignty and the unity of Iraq," said Sheikh Hamad, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the GCC.

The GCC groups Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

On March 24, five days into the war on Iraq, Arab foreign ministers at a meeting in Cairo called for the "immediate withdrawal" of US and British forces from Iraq and condemned the US-led invasion as an "aggression."

In a final resolution that Kuwait declined to sign, the Arab ministers also called on "all Arab states to abstain from participating in any military action damaging to the unity and territorial integrity of Iraq or any other Arab country".

Kuwait described the resolution as "not balanced," saying it did "not clearly mention the Iraqi aggressions against Kuwait."

SPACE.WIRE