JEDDAH, 19 September 2006 — Interior ministers of Iraq’s neighbors yesterday pledged their support to restore the war-torn country’s security and stability and exchange information to combat terrorism.
“The meeting decided to enhance cooperation and exchange information to fight terrorism and take necessary measures to monitor borders and entry points and prevent forging of travel documents,” a communiqué issued after their meeting said.
The ministers from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Syria, Bahrain and Kuwait also decided to take additional steps to prevent movement of militants to and from Iraq. They also offered assistance to the Iraqi government in security training.
Saudi Interior Minister Prince Naif opened the conference expressing the Kingdom’s concern that sectarian violence in Iraq could spill over into its neighbors.
“The danger of the current situation in Iraq will not be limited to Iraq but will have an impact on the security of the international community, especially (Iraq’s) neighbors,” Naif told the ministers.
He said Iraqis should ignore calls that divide Iraq along sectarian or ethnic lines. “What we fear today is that the wise could fall in the traps of the ignorant, in which case Iraq, its unity and people would be the victims,” he said.
Prince Naif called upon ministers of the nine countries to do their best to “take Iraq and the Iraqis out of this dark tunnel.”
“It’s painful for us to see the killings, destruction and raising the gun in the face of brothers in Islam, which are accepted neither by Allah nor human beings and are against all international treaties,” said Naif. “The Kingdom is doing its best to secure Iraq’s borders and help it regain stability and security.
“We are afraid that things could come out sour in that land,” Naif said.
Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad Kazim Al-Boulani said he is optimistic with the stance of the gathered ministers. He said he has “high hopes in the cooperation of the ministers and governments, especially considering that the security situation in Iraq has become a threat that could spread to the whole region.”
He said the Iraqi government has a strategic plan for the security of Baghdad. It has implemented the first two phases of the plan, which has proved a success. Shops are open and people are in the street again. Phase 3 would start in Ramadan and will involve cracking down on forgeries.
An Iraqi official said Baghdad wants its neighbors to seal their borders to militants who cross into Iraq to fight US-led troops. “We need to improve the security situation in Iraq with more border control,” Alaa Al-Taee, an Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman, said on the sidelines of the meeting.
“We want... logistical support including more equipment and training of Iraqi police in countries such as Saudi Arabia,” he added. The Jeddah meeting emphasized the need for halting the activities of terrorist groups that threaten the security of Iraq and its neighbors, the communiqué said. “This demands effective cooperation between Iraq and its neighbors,” it added.
The ministers condemned all terrorist operations that target the Iraqis, including political and religious leaders, as well as efforts to create division among followers of different faiths and schools of thought.
The meeting rejected moves to link Islam with terrorism. “All forms of terrorism go against the teachings of Islam that rejects violence and extremism,” it added.
Iranian Interior Minister Mustafa Pour-Mohammadi took the opportunity to criticize the United States for exacerbating sectarian violence in Iraq and said the primary motive for the US occupation is to establish a permanent military presence in the country and the region.
“Setting a time frame for the departure of foreign forces from Iraq is a must,” Pour-Mohammadi told the press after the talks.
The ministers also denounced the statement of Pope Benedict denigrating Islam and its Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and demanded a clear apology from the pontiff.
The meeting called for the signing of multilateral protocols for security cooperation. It also backed the proposal of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to establish an international anti-terror center. The ministers agreed to hold their next meeting in Kuwait.
The conference discussed recommendations of the past two meetings on ways to combat terrorism and help Iraq to establish security and stability in its territory. The first meeting of the ministers was held in Tehran in 2004 while the second was held in Istanbul.
In Tehran, the ministers stressed Iraq’s political independence and unity and the importance of boosting security efforts on the borders.
In Istanbul, the ministers called for activating security measures on the borders and the exchange of information to control the movement of terrorists into and out of Iraq.
