JEDDAH, 18 July 2005 — The Shoura Council yesterday endorsed the GCC anti-terror pact and said it believed the agreement would help combat the scourge, which caused international concern after the recent London bombings.
“This pact is an essential tool to control and fight terrorism and dry up its sources as well as to protect Gulf societies,” Dr. Saleh Al-Malik, secretary-general of the Shoura told the Saudi Press Agency.
The agreement is significant as Saudi Arabia and other GCC member states have launched massive campaigns to track down Al-Qaeda militants who carried out a series of bombings and shootings.
“The Shoura emphasized the importance of joining forces to confront terrorism and warned against terrorists’ attempts to brainwash young recruits,” Al-Malik said. It also called for efforts to deal with terrorist ideologies and funding.
The 150-member consultative body insisted that all efforts must be made to protect the youths and other members of society from the deviant thoughts of extremists and terrorists by using educational, intellectual and security means.
The anti-terror pact, which was drafted by interior ministers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, defines terrorism as “any crime or terrorist operation in any country or against its properties or interests or its people and their property.”
The pact also deals with those who instigate such crimes or promote them as well as those who print and publish articles or publications or recordings with the objective of promoting those crimes, Al-Malik said, adding that perpetrators of terrorist acts would be punished in accordance with the laws of member countries.
