Iran's Ahmadinejad proposes regional pacts at GCC summit

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Gulf states should work toward establishing regional security and economic pacts free of "foreign influence," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Monday in his first ever appearance at the Gulf Cooperation Council. "We call for peace and security without any foreign influence," Ahmadinejad said in his opening speech as the GCC gathering got under way in Doha. "We propose the establishment of economical and security pacts and institutions among the seven states" here. The pacts should "serve the people of our region more than ever before," the hardline Iranian leader said and invited the Gulf leaders to Teheran to discuss his proposal. He also proposed their joint cooperation in the nuclear field, including the training of Gulf scientists in Iran.