RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir stressed Sunday that the Arab-Islamic-American Summit had presented a key component in reining in the threat of terrorism.
Addressing a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson following the summit held, Al-Jubeir said the Riyadh Declaration had confirmed the importance of countering terrorism as well as the necessity of a US-Islamic partnership.
He said the conference was the first step in the joint effort to combat evil and that opening the Riyadh-based Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology (GCCEI) and the agreements were the first steps toward securing stability and prosperity for future generations.
Al-Jubeir said that Iran and Syria must stop stirring up sectarian strife and interference in affairs related to countries in the region.
“This is not a clash of civilizations, it is a clash for civilization,” Al-Jubeir said. Shedding innocent blood is an act of terrorism, he added.
Al-Jubeir said the Kingdom valued efforts made by US President Donald Trump and was looking forward to further cooperation which included a range of fields.
Tillerson said the war waged on terrorism did not single out a religion or a specific sect but would guard against violence inspired by extremism.
Traveling to “this special place” (Saudi Arabia) is useful to us for understanding everyone better here,” Tillerson told reporters.
Earlier, Tillerson urged the newly re-elected Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to dismantle his country’s “network of terrorism” and end “ballistic missile testing.”
“Today was a truly historic day in the relationship between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the US,” Al-Jubeir said.
Tillerson urges Rouhani to dismantle ‘network of terrorism’
Tillerson urges Rouhani to dismantle ‘network of terrorism’
![Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir, right, and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speak during a press conference following the Arab-Islamic-American Summit in Riyadh on Sunday. (AFP) Tillerson urges Rouhani to dismantle ‘network of terrorism’](https://www.arabnews.com/sites/default/files/styles/n_670_395/public/2017/05/22/915836-1421787712.jpg?itok=SvK-ZefH)