DOHA: Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani yesterday said that unity is the key to promoting security and stability in the GCC region as well as achieving economic growth and cooperation in all fields.

“This is a question of consensus for our people and our communities” said the Emir in his address to the 36th GCC Summit in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh yesterday. He raised a host of other issues relevant to the region and the world including the Syrian crisis Palestine and terrorism and said they must be resolved.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia delivered the inaugural speech. He expressed his appreciation of the Emir for steering the GCC to further progress and prosperity with his successful effort through his chairmanship of the Supreme Council’s previous session.

Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani who was the Chairman of the last session of the summit said in his address: “We meet today against the backdrop of delicate circumstances rapid changeable conditions and serious challenges facing the world in general and the Middle East in particular thus putting further responsibilities on us. I am confident that our Council is able with God’s help to tackle these challenges thanks to our solidarity and joint cooperation in all political economic and security fields.”

Terrorism the Emir stressed had become one of the most dangerous challenges facing our world today threatening international peace and security. Its pace has accelerated recently under false pretexts and slogans. The criminal operations that targeted many countries are the best proof that this abhorrent lesion is cross-border and that its danger besetting all peoples and countries without any discrimination between victims because of their colour race religion or doctrine said the Emir.

The international community is thus required today more than ever to double its effort to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and eliminate its real causes by all available means and capabilities while taking into consideration the difference between terrorism and the legitimate right of peoples to struggle against foreign occupation.

Terrorism that targets innocent civilians is a real problem that must be confronted by all countries he emphasised.

“The first and foremost responsibility of a state is to maintain the security of its citizens. But in order to avoid replacing a form of terrorism with another that is worse than its predecessor we must address the root causes of terrorism that feed on violence against people in conditions of despair lack of any way-out and loss of hope in reform through peaceful means.” However those who are lurking around with ill-intentions against Islam take terrorist groups’ acts as a pretext to attack and distort the image of Islam and to hold all Muslims accountable for acts that they have nothing to do with but rather they are their first victims.

“This requires us to stand up to address these fallacies and to highlight the genuine spirit and tolerance of Islam and its respect for the other and to educate the youth of the Ummah that it is not enough to take pride in the attributes of our religion that generally converge with the human virtues and which are synonymous with high ground ethics but we are supposed also to exercise them” the Emir said.

Despite the tireless endeavours made by the GCC countries and the international community to bring about a just peace in the Middle East and to establish an independent Palestinian State with its capital in Jerusalem (Al Quds Al Sharif) that has not been achieved so far.

And the prospects of a just solution remain completely blocked because of Israeli intransigence and continued aggressive Israeli practices aiming at changing the demographic and geographic facts of the occupied Palestinian territories through expanding settlement construction repeated and systematic attacks on the Al Aqsa Mosque and the unarmed Palestinian citizens in addition to the continued siege on the Gaza Strip and preventing its reconstruction.

It is not acceptable that the Palestinian cause remains unresolved and to be held hostage by the Israeli racist policies the Emir said. The continued inaction of the international community towards Israeli occupation will lead to disastrous consequences for the Middle East region and the entire world.

“It’s our right or rather our duty to call on the international community to obligate Israel to end its occupation of the Arab territories and not to obstruct the establishment of a sovereign independent Palestinian State with its capital in East Jerusalem on 1967 borders.

About the Syrian crisis the Emir said it puts on the international community’s shoulders a historical moral and humanitarian responsibility. The repercussions of this crisis have extended beyond the Syrian and the region’s borders to pose threats to global security and stability.

“Accordingly we as Arabs and as part of the international community should act to put an end to this disaster protect the regional and international peace and security take all measures and actions to spare the blood of the Syrians ease their suffering and strive in earnest to implement the decisions of Geneva (1) that fulfil the aspirations of the Syrian people and their hopes and preserve their dignity and their right to exercise their free will to determine their country’s future without coercion or compulsion by a local or regional or an international power.”

“On this occasion we commend the invitation of the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for all the Syrian political and armed opposition groups to Riyadh for consultation on the delegation representing the Syrian people in the Vienna negotiations” said the Emir.

Through this invitation the Kingdom provides another proof of its support for the Syrian people.

And in these circumstances under which the Syrian people are subjected to crimes of displacement and mass annihilation “we call upon the Syrian opposition parties to live up to the level of responsibility and take advantage of this valuable opportunity to close their ranks and coordinate their steps to what is beyond the formation of a negotiating delegation”.

Regarding Yemen the Emir said: “We reiterate our concern about the stability of Yemen its unity and territorial integrity and emphasise our support for the legitimacy and our rejection to all attempts to forcibly impose control by a faction over Yemen and condemn these attempts which will fail with the will of Allah and by the stance of the Yemeni people and solidarity of the Arab coalition

“We stress the need to complete the political process in accordance with the Gulf initiative the outputs of the national dialogue conference in January 2014 the declaration of Riyadh in May 2015 and the Security Council resolution No. 2216.”

Also the security and stability of Iraq its national unity and territorial integrity are of critical importance for us in the Gulf Cooperation Council States and for our Arab nation in general therefore we call for supporting and backing it in its war against terrorism which has become a threat to its security stability and entity.

Regarding the Libyan situation he said: “We look forward to the brothers in Libya to be able to overcome the current difficulties achieve comprehensive national reconciliation and to proceed with a political process that achieves unity and stability and maintains security for the brotherly Libyan people.

“There is no solution in Libya except a political settlement” emphasised the Emir.

King Salman in his speech noted that the region was facing difficult challenges which require us to stand and work together to continue to fortify our countries against foreign threats and extending a helping hand to our brothers in order to restore security and stability.

In addition challenges facing our Arab region must be addressed including the Palestinian Cause and restoration of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state with Al-Quds as its capital.

Regarding Yemen he said the coalition countries are keen to achieve security and stability there under the leadership of its legitimate government. “We the GCC states support a peaceful solution in order to enable Yemen to overcome the crisis and restore its march towards construction and development” King Salman added.

Regarding Syria he said the Kingdom is hosting the Syrian opposition as a support of finding a political solution to guarantee the unity of the Syrian territory in accordance with the decisions of Geneva 1. All the countries of the world must share responsibility in the fight against extremism and terrorism and elimination of whatever its source.

GCC Secretary-General Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani said in his speech: “We are confident that this session under the presidency of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will achieve the noble objectives sought by the GCC leaders to meet the aspirations and hopes of the citizens of the GCC countries”.

“This session is being held while the region is witnessing serious challenges that require vigilance and hard work in order to preserve GCC achievements and to seek further integration and solidarity to achieve the hopes and aspirations of the GCC citizens” Qatar News Agency reported citing Saudi Press Agency reports. Later a closed session was held by GCC leaders and heads of delegations.

The Peninsula