A+ A-

Arab nations play crucial part in fighting terrorism - UN cmte chief

UN CTED Executive Director Jean-Paul Laborde
UN CTED Executive Director Jean-Paul Laborde

(WITH SEC-SPAIN-KUWAIT) By Hanadi Watfa

MADRID, July 29 (KUNA) -- Arab nations are playing a crucial part in fighting terrorism and extremism through the peace advocate religion of Islam, head of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee's Executive Directorate (CTED) said Wednesday.
CTED Executive Director Jean-Paul Laborde told KUNA, on the fringes of UN-sponsored meeting on "foreign terrorist fighters" in Madrid, that Arab countries ought to deliver and spread the peace message of Islam on all social media in order to counter the powerful terrorism propaganda.
He added the focus to promote this message of peace and tolerance should be done through education and family since the Arab culture is a family-oriented one.
In addition, Laborde lauded the outcome of the UN meeting in Madrid. The "foreign terrorist fighters" meeting focuses on how to stop radicals leaving their countries to join armed jihadist groups abroad.
The meeting aims at producing a set of strategies and techniques to guide member states in their efforts to address the foreign terrorist fighters' threat.
More than 200 experts from 70 countries and about 30 interior and foreign affairs ministers or their deputies are due to attend the two days of meetings.
Officials said between 25,000 and 31,000 such fighters have headed to war zones to join the Islamic State group (ISIL).
The UN Security Council in September 2014 adopted a resolution calling on member states to take measures to stem the flow of foreign fighters, fearing that they may return to launch attacks in their home countries.
The Counter-Terrorism Committee was established by Security Council resolution 1373 (2001), which was adopted unanimously on 28 September, 2001 in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks in the United States.(end) hnd.nfm