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Jeddah ministerial meeting agrees on joining forces against ISIL

The foreign ministers after Jeddah meeting
The foreign ministers after Jeddah meeting
(With POL-GCC-TERRORISM-MEETING) JEDDAH, Sept 11 (KUNA) -- The foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states, four other Arab countries, the United States and Turkey agreed here on Thursday to combine forces against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and other terrorist groups.
The final statement of the regional meeting reaffirmed support to the newly-formed government in Iraq in its efforts to combat ISIL and reflect the aspirations of the broad spectrum of the Iraqi society regardless of any religious or sectarian considerations.
The ministers discussed the strategy for combatting ISIL in Iraq and Syria in the light of the UN Security Council Resolution No. 2170, the Arab League Resolution No. 7804 and the relevant resolutions of the recent NATO summit in Wales.
They reaffirmed commitment to the international combat against terrorism, including the trans-border infiltrations of militants, drying up the sources of financing for terrorist groups, and countering the ideology of extremism and hatred.
They stressed the urgency of scaling up the relief efforts for, and reconstruction of, the areas ravaged by ISIL, highlighting the crucial role of the regional countries, particularly the neighbors of Iraq and Syria, in the coordinated military campaign against ISIL.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, who read the statement at a joint press conference with US Secretary of State John Kerry, said the meeting aimed to develop a unified approach to combating terrorism "through coordinated military, security, political and economic measures." "The countries, represented at the meeting, share identical views on the threat posed by ISIL to Iraq and other countries in the region and beyond," Prince Saud Al-Faisal affirmed.
On his part, Kerry thanked Saudi Arabia for hosting the meeting and inviting Iraq to partake shortly after the formation of a new government in Iraq.
He welcomed the timing of the meeting in synchronization with the September 11, 2001, events which left deep sentiments of hatred among the US citizens.
Kerry welcomed the unanimity among the participants in the meeting on joining ranks against ISIL and other militant groups which commit despicable acts in contravention to the true values of Islam.
Kerry ridiculed Russia for blocking a UN Security Council move against the Syrian regime and then resorting recently to the Council for measures against the government of Ukraine.
The Administration of US President Barack Obama is "already well underway in the effort to assemble the coalition to get the job done," he said.
He was commenting on Obama's speech in which he outlined his strategy against ISIL that will be a "steady, relentless effort" through airstrikes in both Iraq and Syria as well as support for military partners on the ground.
"We are uniting the world against a unified threat, and the president's strategy will succeed because doing it with allies and partners is not just smart, it's strong too," Kerry added.
Besides Kerry and the foreign ministers of the six GCC states, the meeting gathered foreign ministers of Egypt, Iraq, Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon as well as Secretary General of the Arab League Dr. Nabil Al-Araby.
Kuwait was represented by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. (end) nh.od.gb