GCC leaders will firmly confront any plots against member states, His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa said.

Security is a top priority and vital to further strengthening the bloc’s unity, he stressed in an interview with Al Riyadh newspaper, to be published as GCC leaders begin a two-day summit in Riyadh today.

Regrettable events in Bahrain have emphasised that the security of the GCC is under threat and unmasked evil intentions of those “who do not want the good of our nations and our peoples,” he said.

HRH the Premier reiterated confidence in Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s successful leadership of the summit.

He stressed the importance of consolidating joint security and military co-ordination and adopting strategies commensurate with the threats.

HRH the Premier said the role played by the Peninsula Shield reflects the leaders’ far-sightedness.

Bahrain, he said, had shown restraint in handling the recent events. Democracy and development are the kingdom’s strategic options, he added.-TradeArabia News Service