Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been and is still at the forefront of fighting terrorism as demonstrated by its participation in the international coalition to fight the ISIS terrorist organization in Iraq and Syria. The minister stated that the kingdom's hosting of the regional conference to confront the armed terrorist groups in the region in Jeddah last September formed the nucleus of this international coalition against the terrorist organization ISIS. The contribution of the Kingdom has not been confined to participation in military operations against the group, but also has extended to include in one hand the provision of humanitarian assistance to the brotherly Iraqi people and in the other coordination with the international community to dry up the financing sources of terrorist groups and expose the criminal nature of these groups, which are contrary to the tolerant teachings of Islam. This came in a speech by the Minister of Foreign Affairs before the international conference of the partner countries in the coalition against the terrorist organization ISIS held in the Belgian capital, Brussels. The speech reads as follows: 'We meet today to declare to the world our determination to move forward in the fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and whatever sources. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been and is still at the forefront of fighting terrorism, as demonstrated by its participation in the international coalition to fight the ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The Kingdom's hosting of the regional conference to confront the armed terrorist groups in the region in Jeddah last September formed the nucleus of this international coalition against the terrorist organization ISIS. The contribution of the Kingdom has not been confined to participation in military operations against the group, but also has extended to include in one hand the provision of humanitarian assistance to the brotherly Iraqi people and in the other coordination with the international community to dry up the financing sources of terrorist groups and expose the criminal nature of these groups, which are contrary to the tolerant teachings of Islam. We are all aware that countering terrorism will take a long time, and require a continuing effort. Emanating from It is out of the Kingdom's keenness on the continuation of the cohesion of this coalition and the success of its efforts, we believe that these efforts require the presence of combat troops on the ground. Achieving this end in Syria, there is an urgent need to strengthen the forces of moderation represented in the Syrian free army and all other moderate opposition forces, and to seek their annexation with the regular forces within the framework of transitional ruling authority set forth in Geneva Declaration 1, except for those who committed war crimes against humanity and stained their hands with the blood of innocent Syrians. This matter would unite the efforts of these forces to be used to purge the Syrian territory of all terrorist organizations, which occupy one-third of Syria's territory. With regard to Iraq, it requires the unity of the internal front, the restructure of the army under a collective doctrine, its rehabilitation with national and comprehensive participation by all components of the Iraqi people away from the sectarian exclusion policy with the removal of all aspects and activities of armed militias working outside the framework of the Iraqi State. In conclusion, I hope that this conference would translate all the presented ideas into mechanisms that would achieve the goals of the international coalition against terrorist organizations in Iraq and Syria.
