The six oil-rich Gulf Arab states Tuesday demanded an end to Israel's air and sea blockade on Lebanon and the freeing of Palestinian ministers and MPs from Islamic militant group Hamas.
Foreign ministers from the Gulf Co-operation Council also called for a peaceful resolution of the stand-off over Iran's nuclear programme and backed peace efforts in Iraq after talks in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah.
Ministers said they wanted the blockade Israel has imposed on Lebanon since July 13 lifted, something UN chief Kofi Annan said earlier in the day that he hoped to see within 48 hours.
Ministers also pledged to "continue their support for Lebanon and contribute to its reconstruction as part of a common Arab effort." The Lebanese government has said the country sustained some 3.6 billion dollars in material losses as a result of the Israeli offensive that ended on August 14.
Ministers called for the immediate release of Hamas elected officials detained after the group claimed co-responsibility for a cross-border raid in June in which an Israeli soldier was captured.
They warned that the security of the Middle East was dependent on a "swift, just and comprehensive settlement of the Israeli-Arab conflict and the Palestinian question."
The ministers from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates called for the stand-off between Iran and the international community over its nuclear programme to be resolved "by peaceful means" and urged Iran to "cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency".
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