Hizbollah terror role in region rapped at crucial conference

Cairo

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani, participated in the meeting of the Arab Ministerial Quartet Committee on the follow-up on the crisis with Iran and ways to counter its interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries.  The committee consists of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Secretary General of the Arab League. The meeting convened in Cairo yesterday, on the sidelines of the 153rd regular session of the Arab League Council’s ministerial meeting.

The ministerial committee discussed the developments of the crisis with Iran, the path of Arab relations with Iran, and ways to counter the Iranian interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries. The Ministerial Committee issued a statement condemning the unacceptable foreign interferences in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Republic of Yemen by the Secretary-General of the terrorist group Hizbollah. It described them as a blatant interference in the internal affairs of those countries to incite sedition and hatred and an extension of the dangerous role played by Hizbollah, one of Iran’s arms to destabilise the region. The committee stressed that this party represents a main source of tension and needs to be deterred, alongside those who support it.

It also emphasised the need to compel them to immediately stop those statements and all practices that hinder the efforts made to promote peace in the region. It stressed categorical rejection of any abuse to symbols and leaders, and called on the Lebanese government to condemn the statements and the blatant interference by one of its main components, within the framework of commitment to brotherly relations binding the Arab countries with Lebanon.

The committee denounced the ongoing Iranian interference in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and Iran’s support for terrorism, training and harbouring terrorists, stirring sectarian drifts, and continuing hostile statements at various levels in order to destabilise security and stability in the Kingdom of Bahrain. It also condemned Iran’s establishment of terrorist groups in the Kingdom who are funded and trained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, in breach of the principle of respect for the sovereignty and independence of states, and non-interference in their internal affairs, in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law.

It stressed support to all measures taken by the Kingdom of Bahrain to maintain its security and stability. The committee also hailed the decisions of a number of countries to classify the so-called Al Ashtar Brigades in the Kingdom, which are based in Iran, as a terrorist organisation, and a number of its members on the list of terrorism. It stressed that this reflects the determination of the countries in the world to address terrorism and its advocators at the regional and international levels.

The committee hailed Bahrain’s hosting of the Warsaw Process Working Group on Maritime and Aviation Security on October 21 and 22, 2019 in which more than 60 countries participated. It underscored the role of the Kingdom of Bahrain in bolstering regional security and stability and confronting the risks posed by the Iranian practices to maritime and air navigation in the region. The committee also denounced the continued Iranian and Turkish interference in the Syrian crisis and the serious implications this entails on the future of Syria, its sovereignty, security, stability, national unity and territorial integrity.

It asserted that such interference does not serve the efforts to settle the Syrian crisis by peaceful means in accordance with the contents of Geneva. The Committee stressed the importance of standing firmly against any Iranian attempts to threaten energy security, freedom and safety of marine installations in the Arab Gulf and other maritime lanes, whether carried out by Iran or its affiliates in the region. It affirmed that this constitutes a clear and explicit threat to security and peace in the region and the world, and threatens the stability of global economy.