By Sidi Mohamed
DOHA: The 34th GCC interior ministries meeting was held yesterday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani.
In his inaugural speech, the Premier said the meeting is being held under the shadow of successive developments and serious security challenges in the region and the world, foremost of which being the growing acts of terrorism and escalating terror activities which have become a cause of concern to the world. It poses serious threat to social security and safety.
“It is regrettable that terrorist operations which contravene Islamic tenets and humanitarian principles have targeted some GCC states in the past to divide people and destabilise society,” the Premier said
He called for support to all measures the GCC states have taken to counter terrorists and criminal acts.
The GCC countries are also supporting regional and international efforts to combat terrorism, he said, adding terrorism can’t be eliminated without eradicating its real causes, which are either political, social, religious, sectarianism or others.
The Premier said fighting terrorism is a joint responsibility of the governments and non-governmental entities to protect our people, especially youth, from mistaken notions terrorist groups are spreading misusing the name of Islam, which in reality has no relation to it.
He urged the international community to enhance cooperation through coordination among security agencies responsible for fighting terrorism and work on implementing international and regional decisions in this regard, including the most recent United Nations Security Council Decision No. 2015/2199.
GCC Secretary-General Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani said challenges our countries are facing require continuous security-related follow-ups to increase cooperation and coordination among all securities services in the GCC states, or through cooperation with friendly countries or international organisations with expertise in fighting terror to protect GCC security and maintain its stability.
He praised efforts of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain to unearth terrorist cells that conducted smuggling activities and stored large quantities of explosives and weapons to destabilise security and stability on behalf of their foreign patrons.
Saudi Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz Al Saud said the GCC states will continue joint coordination and cooperation to combat terrorist acts targeting regional stability and security.
“Terrorism is a crime threatening the humanitarian community which requires cooperation from all sides and all concerted efforts,” he added.
“On this occasion, the GCC sates condemn the terrorist acts that have taken place in Tunisia, France and Mali,” he said.
On the sidelines of the meeting, the GCC interior ministries signed an agreement to set up GCC Police headquarters in Abu Dhabi.
The Peninsula
