Gulf countries condemn Paris attacks


(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Gulf Arab states Saturday condemned the gun and bomb attacks in Paris that killed at least 128 people and injured 180.
"I wanted to express our condolences to the government and people of France for the heinous terrorist attacks that took place yesterday, which are in violation and contravention of all ethics, morals and religions," Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said.
The Qatari foreign ministry condemned the "armed attacks and bombings" in a statement cited by official agency QNA, saying they "contradict all moral and humanitarian principles and values".
The president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, also condemned Friday night's attacks as "heinous crimes" and said the UAE would "spare no effort... to fight terrorism in all its forms," state news agency WAM reported.
The Islamic State group claimed the attacks in an online statement Saturday.
The top Sunni Muslim religious authority in Saudi Arabaia, the council of senior ulemas, said the attacks with also injured dozens were "contrary to Islam and its principles".
It also claimed IS was "the product of the regime" of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad - who earlier had said "mistaken (French) policies... had contributed to the spread of terrorism".
There were also condemnations from Bahrain and Kuwait, and from Abdellatif Zayani, head of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) which also includes Oman.
The Saudi foreign minister made his remarks in Vienna where he is attending international talks aimed at finding a solution to end the four year war in Syria, where IS holds swathes of territory.
Since September last year, French warplanes based at Al-Dhafra airbase near Abu Dhabi have been flying missions against IS in Iraq.
France extended its attacks on IS to Syria in September this year.


Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.