Foreign Minister attends Arab meeting

Cairo, Dec.24 (BNA): The Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa participated in the Arab League Council’s Ministerial-Level Meeting in its extraordinary session, held this evening at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Arab League in Cairo. The Council issued a statement in which it renewed its condemnation of the Iranian government’s interference in the internal affairs of the Arab countries, in violation of international law and the principle of good neighborliness and thus posing a serious threat to regional and international security and peace. The council called on the Islamic Republic of Iran to refrain from the threats and use of force and to cease all its violations, provocative actions and attempts to sow divide and sectarian strife among the citizens of the Arab countries either through its support for sabotage, terrorism and incitement to violence or through statements issued by senior Iranian officials and seen as blatant interference in the internal affairs of the independent and sovereign Arab countries. It said that such deeds would impair the efforts aimed at building mutual confidence and would pose a threat to security and stability of the region in addition to constituting a violation of international laws, norms and principles as well as the charters of the United Nations and the Arab League. The statement called on the Islamic Republic of Iran to translate its declared desire to improve relations with the Arab countries, engage in dialogue with them and appease tensions into concrete steps in which the words match the deeds. In another statement, the Council confirmed that it is following with deep concern the abduction of a number of Qatari nationals in southern Iraq, and condemned this shameful act which violates the teachings and tolerance of Islam and all divine religions and constitutes a criminal violation of human rights as well as it inflicts harm on the fraternal relations linking the Arabs. The council affirmed that while it strongly condemns the abduction of innocent the citizens who had entered the Iraqi territory in a legal and legitimate manner, it also expresses its full solidarity with the Government of the State of Qatar and backs up all the steps it may take to secure the immediate release of its citizens and their safe return to their homeland and families. The Council expressed hope that the contacts undertaken by the Government of the State of Qatar with the Government of the Republic of Iraq would yield positive results that ensure the safety of the Qatari nationals and puts an end to their detention. It also reaffirmed that the Arab countries would continue cooperating with the Government of the Republic of Iraq and supporting its efforts to achieve security and stability on its territories, urging it to shoulder its international legal responsibilities and to take decisive and immediate procedures that guarantee the safety of the abductees and their release as soon as possible, especially that their entry into the Iraqi territory was under official entry visas, issued by the Embassy of Iraq in Doha and on the basis of the consent of the Iraqi Interior Ministry and given that the abduction has taken place in lands under the sovereignty and control of the Iraqi government. The Council issued another resolution in which it condemned the Turkish government for its military forces incursion in the Iraqi territories as an attack on Iraqi sovereignty and a threat to Arab national security and called for immediate pullout of the Turkish forces from the Iraqi territory unconditionally. It also stressed full support for whatever steps the Iraqi government might take in line with the relevant international laws to secure the withdrawal of the Turkish troops from its territories and not to repeat the violation of the Iraqi sovereignty in the future, under whatever pretexts. In addition, the Council of the Arab League issued another statement welcoming Security Council resolution No. 2259, issued on December 23, 2015 on Libya and called on all parties to respect the Libyan political agreement signed in the Moroccan city of Skhirat on December 17, 2015 regarding the formation of a national unity government. It also expressed hope that this agreement would put an end to the sufferings of the Libyan brothers and pave the way for a new phase where the brothers in Libya will ensure the achievement of their aspirations for security and stability. The Council called on those who refused the agreement to reconsider their decision and speed up their engagement in the national consensus, stressing the council's full commitment to the sovereignty and independence of Libya as well as to its territorial integrity and national unity. It also welcomed any regional or international efforts aimed at putting in place the necessary security arrangements to ease the task for the national reconciliation government to perform its duties in Tripoli, the state capital of Libya, urging the militias and armed groups to respect the authority of this government. (MOFA)