The member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council yesterday called on Russia to step up diplomatic efforts to prevent a threatened US war against their Iraq and to resolve the crisis peacefully. "We call on Russian diplomacy to...be more active at this delicate stage and lead diplomatic efforts aimed at finding a political and peaceful solution to the Iraqi crisis and prevent war, which we all reject," GCC Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Atiyya said.

Opening the first conference between businessmen from the GCC states and Russia, Atiyya said the six-member bloc was concerned about war affecting the people of Iraq, its stability, unity and territorial integrity. He warned of the impact another war would have on the stability of the whole Gulf region.

Former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov, who heads the Russian delegation, on Monday warned that a US war against Iraq could split the world on religious lines and might lead to internal conflicts in many states. Primakov, currently president of the chambers of commerce and industry in Russia, also met Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, in Riyadh.

The Jeddah conference aims at promoting GCC investments in the Russian Federation, especially in the field of energy. Moscow estimates that investments from GCC States in Russia total about $100 million. Atiyya said: "This conference will serve as a launching pad for a comprehensive economic partnership between the GCC states and Russia with a long-term perspective."

The forum called for joint investments in basic industries such as petrochemicals, oil refining, energy services, gas industry, minerals, food, medicine, electricity and water. It also demanded an increase in the volume of trade with Russia and technology transfers.

Georgi Petrov, vice chairman of the federation of Russian chambers, described the forum as an important step toward opening more business areas for cooperation. He said these would not be limited to energy and would cover various other economic and commercial areas. He underscored the growing economic and commercial ties between the Arab world and Russia.

Mohammed Al-Manie, chairman of the GCC chambers of commerce and industry, said there is more scope for cooperation between the two sides. He hoped that the forum would remove the obstacles facing the growth of bilateral ties. Ibrahim Al-Jomaih, a member of the Jeddah chamber's board, expressed the Kingdom's desire to strengthen cooperation with Russia. He stressed the need to activate the GCC-Russian Business Council and called for a trade agreement setting out strategies for industrial and commercial cooperation.