Manama: Saudi Arabia said that terrorism is the most serious challenge currently facing the international community and fighting it is no longer a local matter confined to national borders, but has exceeded them to become a goal for the entire world.
In his speech at the 68th General Assembly on the Fourth Review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom to the United Nations Ambassador Abdullah Bin Yahiya Al Moallimi, expressed Saudi Arabia’s “deep sorrow over the tragic events taking place in Iraq and that led to storming the General Consulate of Turkey and the kidnapping of its staff and their families as well as many civilians working in one of the power stations”.
Riyadh also deplored the act of terrorism that took place in Pakistan and killed more than 30 people, in addition to the injured, he said, adding that he hoped the painful events would make the international community more determined and united in the face of the phenomenon of global terrorism.
He pointed out that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has suffered from terrorist acts and has taken several measures to fight the serious scourge at all national, regional and international levels while working on the implementation of the provisions of international law and the relevant international resolutions banning the perpetration, finance and instigation of terrorist acts, participation in them or protecting their perpetrators, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
“In this regard, the Kingdom responded to the requirements of all resolutions and international committees to combat terrorism and believes that the accession to international conventions relating to terrorism must be accompanied by sincerity of intentions to combat this phenomenon and eliminate it,” he said, quoted by the official news agency.
The ambassador said that Saudi Arabia was among the first countries to deal with the issue of terrorism from the legislative and security views through the enactment of laws and regulations that criminalise travel outside the country to participate in terrorist acts in any country as well as those who incite, finance or cover them.
At the local level, he added, the Kingdom exerts great efforts to fight terrorism, intellectually and psychologically while regionally and internationally it works through all forums.
“The unfortunate terrorist events that the world witnessed last year and the tragedies taking place in the past few days indicate clearly that the focus on security solution does not solve the problem, but “pushes the phenomenon to periods of receding to come back again in a more powerful and influential way”, he said. “The establishment of justice, the rule of law, development, education, dialogue and the elimination of the occupation are the most powerful ways to eliminate the roots of the problem,” he said.
