Local News
RABAT: Arab nations must work together to combat the scourge of terrorism, Interior Minister Lieutenant General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa said yesterday.
Violence and extremism are the main challenges facing the Arab world today and a united front is the need of the hour to maintain the nations’ security and stability, he told the 31st session of the Arab Interior Ministers’ Council meeting in the Moroccan capital under the patronage of King Mohammed VI.
Shaikh Rashid said policemen are being targeted by terrorists, many of whom have been identified and arrested.
“However, some of these people have used our brotherly countries to threaten the security of Bahrain,” he said.
“We are supposed to be together in one security system.”
The Interior Minister urged effective co-ordination against threats that risk the unity of Arab nations.
He said that “all internal conflicts have serious implications on individuals and groups as they are associated with homelessness, poverty, economic damage and decline in growth and basic services that the government provides.”
Moreover, bilateral meetings and recommendations of committees concerned with security have stressed the need for more efforts to protect Arab security, especially in the current crisis.
The minister stressed the need to redraft some agreements between countries to make them more comprehensive on fields related to security co-operation and crises.
The council then issued a statement titled the Marrakech Statement to Combat Terrorism that condemned violence against policemen in Arab countries.
There was also a joint meeting between the Arab Interior Ministers Council and the Arab Justice Ministers Council.
Shaikh Rashid also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Morocco related to co-operation in fields such as forensic science, counterterrorism, drug trafficking, police training and development of civil defence systems.
