Minister stresses Qatar role in global efforts to address terrorism

(MENAFN- Gulf Times) HE the Assistant Foreign Minister for International Co-operation sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani has reiterated Qatar's condemnation of "all violations and acts of violence committed on religious, ethnic or racial lines, all over the world, including the Middle East".
Addressing a round table meeting for humanitarian affairs related to the International Conference for the victims of religious and ethnic violence in the Middle East, Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman stressed that Qatar had actively contributed to all international efforts to address the phenomenon of terrorism and ways to eliminate it.
He referred to Qatar hosting the seventh meeting of the Co-ordinating Committee of the Global Forum on Combating Terrorism, which was held last May, for the first time in the Middle East.
Sheikh Mohamed represented Qatar as a rapporteur in the round table meeting, which was chaired by Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni.
He highlighted Qatar's contribution to the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF), as a founding member of it and one of the largest donor countries by donating $5mn.
"This fund serves as the first global effort at the community level, aims to enhance the ability to confront the phenomenon of violent extremism, and to create a space for consultation and partnership between governments, civil society and the private sector in the member states in support of national strategies aimed at addressing extremism violent. He called on all states to accede to this Fund and to provide the necessary support," he said.
Sheikh Mohamed underlined that Qatar condemned in the strongest possible terms, all violations and acts of violence committed on religious, ethnic or racial lines, all over the world, including the Middle East.
He noted that terrorism and violent extremism were targeting all people of the Middle East from different sects and religions and races, a matter which confirms that the vast majority of victims of the Daesh group were Muslims.
He stressed that terrorism and violent extremism did not only pose a threat to the Middle East, but extended to destabilise the international security and stability, and also threatened the economic and development, achievements and goals that the world sought to achieve as part of the development plan for post-2015.
He called on the international community to make more efforts in order to enhance the provision of protection and assistance to people fleeing from areas affected by terrorism and violent extremism, especially those living in difficult circumstances, including women and children, as well as members of ethnic, religious or other minorities.
Sheikh Mohamed stressed that there was an urgent need to create an integrated international strategy to resolve the Syrian crisis, according to a Geneva 1 statement.
He supported the political process in Iraq with the participation of all the Iraqi people, and the recognition of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, by ending the Israeli occupation, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state of Palestine based on the borders June 4, 1967 with Jerusalem as its capital.