Some articles on the topic:    RTw  12/23 0859  GULF ARABS DEMAND IRAN WITHDRAWAL FROM ISLANDS    (Eds: updates with end of summit details, quotes)      By Youssef Azmeh      ABU DHABI, Dec 23, Reuter - Gulf Arab states, emerging from a summit that restored  their unity after almost three months of crisis, piled pressure on Iran on Wednesday to  reverse its virtual annexation of a strategic Gulf island.      They issued a statement after a three-day Gulf Cooperation Council summit saying Iran  had to show proof of its good neighbourly intentions by rescinding measures that "rocked  Gulf stability and security."      The leaders avoided the anti-Iranian rhetoric of recent statements by Egypt, which  engineered a last minute settlement of a border row between Saudi Arabia and Qatar that  allowed all members to attend the summit.      Egypt said its fears about Iranian intentions in the region and Tehran's alleged  encouragement of Moslem fundamentalist unrest were largely behind President Hosni  Mubarak's mediation.      The GCC statement stressed that developing relations between the Gulf Arab states and  Iran "is linked to enhacing confidence and to measures Iran might take in line with its  commitment to the principle of good neighbourliness and the respect of the sovreignty and  territorial integrity of the region's states."      It denounced Iran's measures on the island of Abu Musa, which it shares with the  United Arab Emirates, and the continued occupation of the Greater and Lesser Tumbs  islands.      Iran earlier this year extended its control over Abu Musa beyond a small garrison it  established there in 1971 under an agreement with the UAE emirate of Sharjah.      It has since rescinded orders expelling foreigners who worked on the island for the  UAE government. But diplomats say it continues to exercise its authority over the whole  island, which the UAE sess as as virtual annexation.      The Tumbs were occupied by the former Shah of Iran in 1971 and the UAE has since the  Abu Musa crisis erupted insisted that they have to be returned as part of a general  settlement.      The GCC leaders called on the U.N. to maintain sanctions against Iraq for not fully  implementing Security Council resolutions following its 1990 invasion of Kuwait.      They endorsed once again the "Damascus Declaration," a pact signed with Egypt and  Syria after their troops took part in the U.S. led alliance that drove Iraqi troops out of  Kuwait.      But delegates said the leaders were unable to agree the details of a fund they  announced they would create at their last summit in Kuwait last year which would have  helped Egypt's and Syria's economic development programme.      They said the leaders could not agree on a breakdown of contributions from each state  although the total amount had been scaled down to $6 billion from the $10 billion agreed  last year.      The fact that the leaders of all GCC states -- Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and  Qatar -- attended the summit was seen as a major achievement although their unity was only  maintained with outside help.      Most delegations were not too worried for the moment about the slow progress of the  conservative rulers discussions on a future security structure for the region that boasts  the bulk of global oil and gas reserves.      The leaders were unable to choose between two proposals.      One put forward by a summit committee headed by Oman's Sultan Qaboos to create a  100,000-man rapid deployment force that could rush to defend any member against external  aggression, such as Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.      Another was a Saudi-supported plan to expand the existing 10,000-man "Peninsula  Shield" force which had so far played a largely symbolic role and is commanded by a Saudi  general.      Little headway was made on plans for a reginal common market although the summit  called for concrete proposals to be submitted to next year's summit due to be held in  Saudi Arabia next December.   REUTER YA DYA DJG     RTw  12/23 0835  GULF LEADERS END SUMMIT       ABU DHABI, Dec 23, Reuter - Gulf Arab states ended a three-day annual summit on  Wednesday with an appeal to Iran to end its occupation of three strategic Gulf islands as  a condition for restoring friendly ties across the Gulf.      A joint statement issued after the summit, marked by relief over the settlement of a  row between two Gulf Cooperation Council members, also called for continued U.N. sanctions  against Iraq.      It said Baghdad had failed to implement key Security Council decisions following the  expulsion of its troops from Kuwait early last year.      The summit broke no new ground on steps to achieve a Gulf common market, but called on  officials to present a plan for common external tarrifs for all six members to the next  summit which will be held in Saudi Arabia in December 1993.      The statement stressed that developing relations between the Gulf Arab states and Iran  "is linked to enhacing confidence and to measures Iran might take in line with its  commitment to the principle of good neighbourliness and the respect of the sovreignty and  territorial integrity of the region's states."      It denounced Iran's measures on the island of Abu Musa, which it shares with the  United Arab Emirates, and the continued occupation of the smaller islands, the Greater and  Lesser Tumbs.      It expressed deep regret and extreme concern for the unjustified Iranian measures  which contradict a proclaimed wish to develop relations and called on Iran to rescind  those measures and end the occupation which it said was "shaking peace and stability in  the area."      Iran earlier this year extended its control over Abu Musa beyond a small garrison it  established there in 1971 under an agreement with the UAE emirate of Sharjah.      It has since rescinded orders expelling foreigners who worked on the island for the  UAE government but diplomats in the region say that its security forces continue to  exercise their authority over the whole island.      The UAE has seen this as virtual annexation.      The Tumbs were occupied by the former Shah of Iran in 1971 and the UAE has since the  Abu Musa crisis erupted insisted that they have to be returned as part of a general  settlement.   REUTER YA DYA DJG    RTw  12/26 1441  IRAN HINTS IT READY TO GO TO WAR OVER ISLANDS    (Eds: updates with SNSC statement)      NICOSIA, Dec 26, Reuter - Iran told its Gulf Arab neighbours on Saturday it was ready  to defend militarily three disputed islands, reminding them of its eight-year war with  Iraq.      "Our eight-year defence (in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war) has proved to the world that  our brave nation will never hesitate to defend the sovereignty and safeguard the  territorial integrity of Iran," Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) said.      A meeting of the heads of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council voiced full support  on Wednesday for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in its dispute with Iran over the Gulf  islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tumb and Lesser Tumb.      The move has triggered strong Iranian criticism and warnings. Besides the UAE, the GCC  also groups Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.      Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who chaired the SNSC's meeting on  Saturday, said during his Friday prayer sermon at Tehran University: "Iran is surely  stronger than the likes of you. To reach these islands one has to cross a sea of blood."      The SNSC, quoted by the official Iranian news agency IRNA received in Cyprus, also  criticised the GCC and described its support of the UAE as "irresponsible."     "No country will ever be able to covet even an inch of Iranian soil," said the SNSC.      Earlier on Saturday, the English language Tehran Times, believed to be close to the  Foreign Ministry, said the UAE should be aware that Iran's self-restraint had certain  limits.      It dismissed a UAE claim to the islands as unfounded and said a 1971 agreement to  share Abu Musa with the UAE emirate of Sharjah still applied.      "The idea of Abu Dhabi officials that Tehran would always refrain from responding to  the blows inflicted by them was "childish," Tehran Times said.      IRNA said the newspaper was commenting on the GCC statement which urged Iran to  reverse what it says is the annexation of Abu Musa island and to pull out of the two other  islands.      Iran says the islands near the entrance to the Gulf have historically belonged to it.  The dispute flared this year after Iran tightened its control over Abu Musa.   REUTER AF JCH   RTw  12/28 1011  TEHRAN PAPER WANTS IRAN REVIVE CLAIM TO BAHRAIN