( RIA Novosti ) - Iran's president is arriving in the capital of Qatar Monday to take part in a session of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) which will gather six Arab states December 3-4.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will attend the summit of the organization, also known as the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (CCASG), for the first time, at the invitation of the Qatari emir.
Earlier, a senior adviser to the Iranian president said the trip would be a good opportunity to exchange opinions and hold consultations between Gulf countries strengthening regional ties, as Tehran is interested in closer cooperation with Gulf states.
The summit participants will discuss the situation in Lebanon, Iraq, Sudan and Somali, as well as the Palestinian National Authority.
The six countries, namely Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Oman, will also touch upon the Iranian nuclear problem.
Tehran's relations with Gulf countries are complicated, with Iran unhappy at the Gulf countries' close cooperation with the U.S.
Western countries, led by the U.S., suspect Iran of pursuing a covert nuclear weapons program - concerns shared by the GCC members - but the Islamic Republic insists it needs nuclear energy for electricity generation.