Counter Terrorism International Conference Opens

Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard delivered the opening address to the conference today.  Excerpts from his speech:

"This eternal call from our Almighty God represents the true spirit of Islam, a religion of peace, wisdom and righteousness, not the false slogans espoused by those outside the bounds of Islam who proclaim them from dark caves in order for the enemies of Islam to use them to create a distorted picture of our faith. The prophet of Islam -- God's peace and blessings be upon him - is a prophet of mercy, and Islam is a religion of mercy. It is therefore not possible that mercy and terrorism can co-exist in one mind, or one heart, or one house.

"My Dear Friends:

"The convening of this conference, which includes nations from various cultures, faiths and political systems, is clear testimony that terrorism, when it strikes its victims, does not differentiate between cultures, faiths or forms of government. Terrorism does not belong to any culture, or religion, or political system. It is a global crime perpetrated by evil minds filled with hatred towards humanity and consumed with a blind desire to kill and destroy.

"This conference represents the will of the international community to combat this crime in every aspect by fighting evil with justice, confronting deviant thought with wisdom and noble ideas, and challenging extremism with moderation and tolerance.

"It is important to recognize that terrorism is strongly linked to three other global crimes: arms smuggling, drug smuggling and money laundering. It will be more difficult for us to prevail in our war on terrorism if our war does not include a serious effort to confront the three other crimes.

"My Dear Friends:

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was one of the first countries to suffer from terrorism and warn of its dangers. It has dealt with it vigilantly on the local, regional and international levels. We are fighting terrorism, those who support it and those who condone it. We will continue to do so until we eliminate, with the help of God, this evil. During this conference, we will present our experience in dealing with terrorism, and we also look forward to benefiting from your experiences in this area. I have no doubt - God willing - that our collective experiences will help all of us in the battle against terrorism. It is our hope that this conference will usher a new era of international cooperation in the war against terrorism that will enable us to rid our world of this threat.

"In this regard, I call upon all countries to establish an international center for combating terrorism where experts in this area can exchange information instantly in response to the demands of the situation and the need to prevent incidents - God willing - before they occur.

"I realize that the danger of terrorism cannot be eliminated overnight, and that our war against terrorism will be long and difficult, and that terrorism is becoming increasingly violent and vicious as we tighten the noose around it. But I am fully confident - God willing - that the final outcome will be a resounding victory for the forces of moderation, tolerance and peace against the forces of hatred, extremism and crime, with the help of God Almighty, the ultimate supporter and protector.

"Thank you, and may God's peace, mercy and blessings be upon you.

Press Reporting

Meet to Focus on Anti-Terror Cooperation
Raid Qusti, Arab News

RIYADH, 5 February 2005 — Crown Prince Abdullah will inaugurate here today the first ever global anti-terrorism conference organized by the Kingdom.

Foreign delegations as well as speakers participating in the event arrived in the capital from 50 Asian, Arab, and Western countries. Several international organizations such as the Interpol will also be participating in the four-day event.

Organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the conference will host many workshops. Key speakers will be addressing several issues such as the roots of terrorism, money laundering, strengthening international cooperation in the fight on terror, and learning from other countries’ experience in dealing with terrorism as well as sharing information and intelligence.

Interior Minister Prince Naif, who is the conference chairman, is expected to address the conference tomorrow morning, starting off Sunday’s session. Prince Muhammad ibn Naif, deputy minister for security affairs at the Ministry of Interior, will head Saudi Arabia’s delegation to the conference.

Though the number of participants in each delegation is limited to five, Arab News learned that the US team could be as large as 20. Most participants are experts in the field of combating terrorism and will share information and ideas with other delegations.

Four workshops will be held today at the King Faisal Conference Hall of the Intercontinental Hotel. Delegates from Egypt, Japan, Germany and Turkey will participate in the first workshop entitled, “Roots of Terrorist Thought”. Delegates from Saudi Arabia, the United States and Singapore will address a second workshop entitled “Link Between Terrorism and Money Laundering, Arms and Drug Trafficking”.

There will be a third workshop on “Counterterrorism Experiences of Different Countries”. Delegates from France, India and China will participate in that workshop as well as the fourth on “Terrorist Organizations and Formations”.

The organizing committee yesterday asked delegates to present their papers ahead of today’s events.

Amr Moussa, secretary-general of the Arab League, said in a statement that the conference was important because it “deals with the dangerous phenomenon that threatens societies and people all over the world.”

He said he would be participating in the conference, which he described as a “chance for security officials in Saudi Arabia and their Arab and Western counterparts to discuss ways to reinforce regional and international cooperation to combat this phenomenon.”

Minister of Culture and Information Fouad Al-Farsy visited the media center at the Marriot Hotel to inspect preparations to ensure that journalists carry out their task with ease. He said the global meet illustrates the international community’s cooperation in combating terrorism.

Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Prince Turki ibn Sultan, who also visited the center, commented on the terrorist attacks in the Kingdom over the past two years, saying, “those who committed these acts are not human and, above all, our religion condemns such acts.”

Reprinted with permission.

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