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MARGARITA ISLAND /Â WAM
“The UAE stands firmly against all forms of terrorism and religious extremism that destroy the social fabric of society, affect national harmony and threaten global peace and security,” said Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, at the 17th meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), being held in Margarita, Venezuela.
Making a statement, as the head of the UAE’s delegation to the 17th meeting of NAM, he called for consolidated international efforts to counter issues about terrorism at all levels.
“It is important that all countries unite and follow a comprehensive strategy to combat terrorism straight at its source and track down those who commit such acts,” Dr Al Zeyoudi said.
Reaffirming the country’s commitment to the international goals of combatting terrorism, he said that the UAE considered itself an important partner in all regional and global alliances that combat terrorism on a security, cultural and intellectual level. The UAE has established the “Hedaya” centre and a digital call centre “Sawab”, which aims to combat extremist agendas organised on the Internet by terrorist organisations such as Daesh (IS), he emphasised.
The UAE has a clear foreign policy that is based on non-interference with the internal affairs of its neighbours and other countries, respecting their sovereignty and the unity of their lands, he stressed, while emphasising that the country adamantly refuses to interfere in the affairs of other countries which could cause instability amongst the population.
Dr Al Zeyoudi called on countries of the non-aligned movement to stop interference with the support of armed militias, meddling in affairs of other countries, and to give up illusions of regional dominance and expansion.
He renewed the UAE’s call to Iran to be responsive to the country’s calls for a peaceful solution of Iran’s occupation of the three Emirati islands, Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa, through direct negotiations or through international jurisdiction in accordance with the United Nations (UN) convention and the principles of international law.
Regarding the situation in Syria, he stressed that the UAE continued to work towards putting an end to the war machine and the humanitarian crisis that the Syrian population is going through. He stressed the importance of finding a political solution to the crisis that is based on the requirements of the First Statement of Geneva and accomplishes the aspirations of the Syrian people in forming a transitional power with complete jurisdiction.
This, he said, will ultimately end the cycle of death and destruction, and will help create a national platform to build Syria, and will be inclusive of all national components which will fight extremism and terrorism.
He stressed the UAE’s commitment in contributing to resolve the severe humanitarian crisis facing the Syrian people, and called on the international community to work on solving the crisis and providing the required resources for nearby nations to support them in dealing with the influx of immigrants.
Dr. Al Zeyoudi stressed that the UAE supports the constitutional legitimacy of Yemen, respects its sovereignty and independence and refuses any interference in its internal affairs. He stressed the importance of reaching a political solution to the Yemeni crisis based on specific fundamentals. These include legitimacy, the GCC initiative and the Riyadh announcement as well as the outcomes of the national dialogue and decisions of the Arab League and the UN Security Council especially resolution No. 2216. The UAE supports the efforts of the UN envoy to find a peaceful solution in Yemen and the initiative that came out of the quartet’s meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, he added.
The minister also emphasised the UAE’s stance regarding the importance of the Israeli withdrawal of all Palestinian and Arab lands based on the 1967 lines in accordance with international legislations and the Arab peace initiative. He said that it is important to support the state of Palestine in order to achieve full membership in all international organisations and treaties.
He noted that reaching a peaceful settlement in the Middle East is a vital factor in combatting regional tensions. He said that the Israeli actions that target the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem would only feed violence, extremism and conflict in the region. He called on countries of the non-aligned movement to support the struggle of the Palestinian people in Jerusalem and to support their political opposition against the abolition attempts of the Muslim and Arab identity.
The minister said that the UAE condemns the nuclear test carried out by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as it is in defiance of the resolutions of the UN Security Council and poses a real threat to global security and stability. He stressed the importance of preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction around the world.
In conclusion, Dr. Al Zeyoudi renewed the UAE’s call to the countries of the non-aligned movement to further their commitment to climate change, and encouraged them to join the IRENA, which has its headquarters in Abu Dhabi, and to benefit from the programmes and opportunities the agency offers in the area of renewable energy.
Dr. Al Zeyoudi stressed that the UAE supports the constitutional legitimacy of Yemen, respects its sovereignty and independence and refuses any interference into its internal affairs. He stressed the importance of reaching a political solution to the Yemeni situation based on specific fundamentals. These include legitimacy, the GCC initiative and the Riyadh announcement as well as the outcomes of the national dialogue and decisions of the Arab League and the UN Security Council especially resolution no. 2216.
He added that the UAE supports the efforts of the UN envoy to find a peaceful solution in Yemen and the initiative that came out of the quartet meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The minister also emphasised the UAE’s stance regarding the importance of the Israeli withdrawal of all Palestinian and Arab lands based on the 1967 lines in accordance with international legislations and the Arab peace initiative. He said that it is important to support the State of Palestine in order to achieve full membership in all international organisations and treaties.
He noted that reaching a peaceful settlement in the Middle East is a vital factor in combatting regional tensions. He said that the Israeli actions that target the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem would only feed violence, extremisms and conflict in the region. He called on countries of the non-aligned movement to support the struggle of the Palestinian people in Jerusalem and to support their political opposition against the abolition attempts of the Muslim and Arab identity.
Dr. Al Zeyoudi said that the UAE condemns the nuclear test carried out by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as it is a defiance to the resolutions of the UN Security Council and poses a real threat to the global security and stability. He called on the importance of preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction around the world.
Concluding his speech, Dr. Al Zeyoudi renewed the UAE’s call to the countries of the non-aligned movement to further their commitment to climate change. He also encouraged them to join the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), which has its headquarters in Abu Dhabi, and to benefit from the programmes and opportunities the agency offers in the area of renewable energy.