Interior Minister participates in GCC meeting

Manama, July 3 (BNA): Minister of Interior Lt-General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa led the Kingdom of Bahrain’s delegation at the extraordinary meeting of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Interior Ministers in Kuwait. The GCC Secretary-General Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani also attended the meeting. The ministers reviewed the details of the heinous terrorist attack at Imam Al Sadiq Mosque in Kuwait City last Friday which left a number of innocent worshippers dead and injured. The ministers strongly condemned the treacherous attack and offered their sincere sympathy and heartfelt condolences to His Highness the Kuwait Amir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah and the bereaved families. Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Shaikh Mohammed Khalid Al Hamad Al Sabah briefed the ministers on the actions taken by Kuwait’s special security agencies to unravel the circumstances surrounding the hideous crime and arrest the perpetrators in a record time. The ministers expressed their pride over the patriotic spirit demonstrated by the Kuwaiti people through solidarity, coherence and national unity which, they said, was a clear message to those seeking to foment dissension and sectarian strife that their evil and criminal plans were doomed to fail. The ministers recalled the horrid terrorist acts recently perpetrated in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and attacks against mosques in Dalwa, Qudaih and Dammam in Saudi Arabia, describing such acts as alien to Islamic values and principles which advocate tolerance and moderation. They also denounced the terrorist incidents which targeted the Suwaif Saudi Border Centre and the attempts to smuggle weapons and explosives into GCC countries as well as the repeated shooting of policemen in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. They reiterated their firm resolve to combat terrorism, dry up the sources of its funding and counter the perverted ideologies feeding it. They also urged the Muslim youth to be cautious and alert and steer clear of subversive ideas and those disseminating them. They stressed the key role played by religious scholars and the media in projecting the real image of Islam which shuns extremism and violence. They also stressed the need for concerted international efforts and cooperation to eradicate the scourge of terrorism and dry up the sources of its financing.