The Kingdom is determined to strengthen its ties with Qatar and all other countries in terms of economic development, the fight against terrorism and ensuring that peace prevails in the Middle East, said Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior. In a wide-ranging interview with Qatar's Al-Sharq newspaper published Sunday, Prince Naif expressed his satisfaction at current relations between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. He said there is much common ground between the two countries, including faith, language and history. Prince Naif welcomed the results and agreements reached with Qatari officials at the Joint Coordination Council Meetings. This was largely due to the leadership of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar. He expressed hope that joint ventures would be successful, including the proposed Gulf railway and electricity link-up. As for countering terror, Prince Naif said the Kingdom has been able to put a limit to this evil, to foil hundreds of sabotage attempts, expose evildoers and refute their allegations, showing that they have deviated from the teachings of Islam. He said Saudi Arabia has pioneered a new way to counter terrorism, a method that is now being adopted by many other countries. “As to whether the Kingdom has won the battle against terror, we cannot say that we have won the battle. The struggle between truth and falsehood and between good and evil is an ongoing eternal struggle. Crime will continue to exist as long as man exists,” he said. He said that significant gains have been made in Arab countries to tackle terrorism. This was reflected in the success of the Arab Agreement for Combating Terrorism. “The agreement is considered to be a distinctive accomplishment for Arab countries in general and the Council of Arab Ministers of Interior in particular.” He said this was achieved by the efforts of the Council of Arab Ministers of Interior, and the Councils of Arab ministers of Justice and Information. Prince Naif expressed regret that early Arab warnings on the dangers of terrorism, through these agreements, was not given sufficient attention by the international community. However, he added that the agreement and the unified Arab security framework has prepared the ground for carrying out integrated global efforts in countering terrorism. Prince Naif said cross-border crimes cannot be combated effectively by the efforts of a single state, no matter how strong it may be. As for human rights issues, Prince Naif said there has been a great deal of talk by certain parties for their own self-interest, which has nothing to do with the truth. The Basic System of Governance in the Kingdom confirms clearly the state's commitment to protect human rights in terms of Islamic Shariah, he said. In this regard, the Kingdom had recently approved the Regulation for Countering Human Trafficking, which fulfills international criteria for preventing human trafficking and punishing perpetrators. Besides this, the Kingdom was elected onto the United Nations' Human Rights Council for two consecutive sessions. This represents international appreciation for the Kingdom's status in this field and was proof of the falsehoods and false allegations directed against the Kingdom, he added. No matter how much effort was put into this situation by the Kingdom and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, there would always be nations and individuals who find fault, and who would blame Islam. Prince Naif denied that any pressure had been exerted on GCC countries regarding issues of sponsorship, residential permits and naturalization. However, he called on GCC countries to train their own populations to reduce dependence on foreign labor. As for the situation in Iraq, Prince Naif said it was important for Iraq to become stable. He said other countries should not interfere in Iraq's internal affairs because this would only aggravate the situation further and affect regional and international peace. “Instability in Iraq will have an impact on all the countries in the region,” he stressed. As for relations with Iran, Prince Naif said relations between the Kingdom and Iran and other countries are based on the policy of mutual respect and non-interference. He said the Kingdom attaches utmost importance to Iran's cooperation with Arab countries through legitimate channels and according to international agreements and charters. Asked about the Kingdom's stance toward Iranian nuclear developments, he said: “The Kingdom's policy, together with its sister countries in the GCC, are clear. We support reaching a peaceful solution to this matter and emphasize the necessity for the region to be free from weapons of mass destruction. There should be adherence to international resolutions and controls that ban the proliferation of nuclear weapons.” As for a Saudi plan to sponsor another peace agreement between Palestinian factions, Prince Naif said that King Abdullah had earlier sponsored an agreement between the Palestinian factions in Makkah. “It was blessed by the Arabs, Muslims and the world. We expected this great pledge, within the vicinity of the Grand Mosque, would end the Palestinian disagreement. But events took place that did not serve Palestinian interests.” He hoped that the Palestinians would not let their emotions and personal interests outweigh the greater good for peace.
