Bahrain's Foreign Affairs Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa today delivered a speech on behalf of the Kingdom of Bahrain at the 72nd UN General Assembly Session: He said, "The Kingdom of Bahrain firmly believes that maintenance of stability and security in the Middle East and in the entire world requires a strong and common political will as well as serious collective efforts to guarantee respect for the basic principles underlying relations among states, such as good neighborliness, non - interference in the internal affairs and compliance with international conventions and instruments so that we can address the greatest challenge facing us, namely terrorism, and deter those individuals or entities supporting and financing it. "All the more so now, that terrorism is no longer confined to terrorist organizations that we can confront and eliminate. Rather, it has become a tool in the hands of states determined to create crises in other countries in pursuit of their own agenda. They thus become a full partner in the terrorist acts and a factor of destabilization of international peace and security. "Considering the strategic importance of peace and security for our vital region, my country is keen to establish strategic partnerships within its own region and with its allies. As partners, we can work together to preserve the security of the Gulf region, to combat terrorism and to provide protection for international navigation and commerce routes, notably through close cooperation between the Bahrain Defense Force and the American Fifth Fleet, based in the Kingdom of Bahrain. "The GCC - US summit held in May of this year in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the ensuing Memorandum of Understanding to establish a Centre charged with combating the financing of terrorism, as well as the Arab Islamic American Summit, all constitute an important landmark in the war against terrorism in that they establish a strategic and effective partnership between the US, the GCC and the other Arab Islamic countries. We reaffirm that the Global Center to Fight Extremism known as I'itidal "moderation", inaugurated in the city of Riyadh on the sidelines of the aforementioned Summit will contribute greatly to the fight against extremist ideologies and will enhance the values of tolerance and co-existence in the world. "In this context, I commend the General Assembly's resolution establishing the United Nations Office of Counter Terrorism which constitutes an important step towards the consolidation of international efforts to address this scourge. "It is no longer acceptable that among us, there are rogue countries occupying others' territories, violating the sovereignty of states, threatening international peace and security, supporting terrorism, and spreading hate and anarchy. It is no longer possible to allow these countries to become parties to our efforts to bring an end to struggles, resolve conflicts and put an end to complex humanitarian tragedies. Those countries were behind the aggravation of these situations. We should not allow them the opportunity to be among us and to misuse their presence among us to satisfy their ambitions and hostile objectives. Confronting these countries is a duty and a responsibility that the entire international community must shoulder. Either they respect their commitments and catch up with the collective international will to achieve peace, development and welfare, or be held clearly accountable, and suffer isolation and the severe consequences of international resolutions and laws. --More 00:05 LOCAL TIME 21:05 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/1670206
