February 18, 2005

COUNTER-TERRORISM INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: IN HIS INAUGURAL ADDRESS PRINCE ABDULLAH IBN ABDUL AZIZ CALLS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR COMBATING TERRORISM. THE CROWN PRINCE: THE DANGER OF TERRORISM CAN NOT BE ELIMINATED OVERNIGHT, BUT I AM FULLY CONFIDENT GOD WILLING OF ACHIEVING A RESOUNDING VICTORY AGAINST THE FORCES OF HATRED, EXTREMISM AND CRIME. PRINCE NAIF: TERRORISM IS NOT JUST AN ACT, BUT THE PRODUCT OF AN ABERRANT IDEOLOGY AND ALL MEMBERS OF THE SAUDI SOCIETY HAVE SUCCESSFULLY STOOD FIRM AGAINST THESE MISCREANTS. SPEECHES BY THE SECRETARIES GENERAL OF THE ARAB LEAGUE, THE GCC, THE MUSLIM WORLD LEAGUE AND THE ORGANIZATION OF THE ISLAMIC CONFERENCE. On behalf of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, welcomed participants of the Counter-terrorism International Conference and said the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the cradle of Islam which advocates equality and friendship. In his inaugural address, Crown Prince Abdullah pointed out that Islam is the religion of wisdom, adding that false slogans raised by deviant groups run counter to the teachings of Islam. "Mohammed, the Prophet of Islam (Peace Be Upon Him) is the prophet of mercy, and Islam is the religion of mercy, and it is impossible to link Islam with terrorism." The convening of the conference, which includes countries of different civilizations, religions and systems provides a clear evidence that victims of terrorism are from various countries irrespective of their civilizations or religions. "Terrorism does not belong to a certain religion or system, and it is carried out by evil and spiteful persons who are fond of killing and destruction," the Crown Prince noted. "The conference embodies the determination of the international community on confronting criminal gangs in all places, as well as combating false ideas, and facing the extremist rhetoric with moderation and tolerance." Crown Prince Abdullah noted that the terrorist network is closely linked to three criminal international networks, namely the networks of arms smuggling, drug smuggling and money laundering. "It will be difficult to attain victory in our battle against terrorism unless we decisively confront these three criminal networks', he said. The Crown Prince said: "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was one of the countries which had suffered from terrorism, and subsequently it had earlier warned against its menace at the local, regional and international arenas. We are now involved in a war against terrorism and those who back it or try to justify it. However, we are determined on uprooting this dangerous phenomenon. We will present our experience in combating terrorism before you, and at the same time, we are looking forward for benefiting from your experiences in this respect. Undoubtedly, our joint experiences will help us with the grace of Almighty Allah in our battle against terrorism. I am hopeful that we will open a new page for effective international cooperation for creation of an international society which is free from terrorism, and I would like to call all countries to establish an international center for combating terrorism that helps in exchanging information about terrorism so as to avoid terror acts. I know that the danger of terrorism will never disappear in a very short time, and our battle against terrorism will take a long time, but at the end, the forces of love, tolerance and peace will triumph." Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, delivered the following speech during the opening ceremony of the Counter-Terrorism International Conference being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia February 5-8: In the Name of God, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful My Dear Brothers and Friends: May God's peace, mercy and blessings be upon you. It is my pleasure to thank you for accepting the invitation to participate in this historic gathering, and to welcome you, on behalf of my brother, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques -- may God protect him and on behalf of the Saudi people, to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the land of peace and Islam, from which an eternal message of equality and friendship between all people was launched. In the words of the Almighty: "O' Mankind, we have created you from a male and female and made you into nations and tribes that you may know one another. Verily, the most honorable of you before God is the one who is most pious." This eternal call from our Almighty God represents the true spirit of Islam, a religion of peace, wisdom and righteousness, not the false slogans espoused by those outside the bounds of Islam who proclaim them from dark caves in order for the enemies of Islam to use them to create a distorted picture of our faith. The prophet of Islam -- God's peace and blessings be upon him is a prophet of mercy, and Islam is a religion of mercy. It is therefore not possible that mercy and terrorism can co-exist in one mind, or one heart, or one house. My Dear Friends: The convening of this conference, which includes nations from various cultures, faiths and political systems, is clear testimony that terrorism, when it strikes its victims, does not differentiate between cultures, faiths or forms of government. Terrorism does not belong to any culture, or religion, or political system. It is a global crime perpetrated by evil minds filled with hatred towards humanity and consumed with a blind desire to kill and destroy. This conference represents the will of the international community to combat this crime in every aspect by fighting evil with justice, confronting deviant thought with wisdom and noble ideas, and challenging extremism with moderation and tolerance. It is important to recognize that terrorism is strongly linked to three other global crimes: arms smuggling, drug smuggling and money laundering. It will be more difficult for us to prevail in our war on terrorism if our war does not include a serious effort to confront the three other crimes. My Dear Friends: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was one of the first countries to suffer from terrorism and warn of its dangers. It has dealt with it vigilantly on the local, regional and international levels. We are fighting terrorism, those who support it and those who condone it. We will continue to do so until we eliminate, with the help of God, this evil. During this conference, we will present our experience in dealing with terrorism, and we also look forward to benefiting from your experiences in this area. I have no doubt God willing -- that our collective experiences will help all of us in the battle against terrorism. It is our hope that this conference will usher a new era of international cooperation in the war against terrorism that will enable us to rid our world of this threat. In this regard, I call upon all countries to establish an international center for combating terrorism where experts in this area can exchange information instantly in response to the demands of the situation and the need to prevent incidents God willing before they occur. I realize that the danger of terrorism cannot be eliminated overnight, and that our war against terrorism will be long and difficult, and that terrorism is becoming increasingly violent and vicious as we tighten the noose around it. But I am fully confident -- God willing that the final outcome will be a resounding victory for the forces of moderation, tolerance and peace against the forces of hatred, extremism and crime, with the help of God Almighty, the ultimate supporter and protector. Thank you, and may God's peace, mercy and blessings be upon you. A number of Arab, Muslim and world officials also addressed the Counter-terrorism International Conference inaugurated by Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard. On his part, Professor Akmaluddin Ihsan Ogli, the Secretary General of the Islamic Conference Organization thanked the Kingdom for its valuable initiative to hold this conference for combating terrorism, stressing that the conference will greatly contribute to the world campaign to combat the phenomenon of terrorism that threatens through its evils all peoples and does not distinguish between peoples and religions. He indicated that Islam has been working on confronting the roots of terrorism and eliminating its possible political, economic or social sources, adding that the Organization has been in the forefront of mobilizing capabilities and efforts to combat terrorism through conferences and treaties. The peaceful religion of Islam considers terrorism as one of the greatest crimes and corruptions on earth, the Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) said. Addressing the Counter-terrorism International Conference, Professor Akmaluddin Ihsan Ogli said Islam has contributed widely to the global campaign against terror. He said terrorism is a global phenomenon whose victims are different nations of different religions, beliefs and philosophies. He said Saudi Arabia's decision to host the global conference comes from its awareness of the danger of terrorism and the urgent need to fight it. The Kingdom was among the first countries to combat terrorism, he added. "What this country has observed from terrorist incidents committed by deviant groups, is that they have claimed religious reasons for their actions. This is a false claim that is not related in any way to true Islam. These people have a deviant and perverted ideology that is foreign to the principles of Islam. They have been fed by alien thoughts," he was quoted as saying by Arab News. The OIC Secretary-General said that Saudi society was successful in standing united against the deviant groups and showed determination to deal with them sternly. "Terrorism is not just an act; it is the product of a perverted ideology. It is our duty to combat it... Therefore all the institutions have a responsibility to fight against it as much as possible. Just as security institutions have a duty, cultural, scientific and educational institutions also have the greatest responsibility in combating deviant thoughts and building the correct principles and morals that will deter societies from evil acts," he said. Addressing the conference, the Secretary General of Arab League Amr Mousa expressed his appreciation of the Kingdom for this initiative to hold this international important conference to combat terrorism since terrorism turns out as an international issue and a dangerous deviation aiming at terrifying the secure people, threatening the stability of societies and harming all noble values and bases of contacts and interaction among civilizations and cultures. He noted that the League will submit the conference two papers on international and regional cooperation to combat terrorism and relation between terrorism and organized crime in all its forms. Mousa praised the proposal of the Crown Prince to set up an international conference to combat terrorism, affirming the League's readiness for contributing in the set up of this center and running aspects regarding the Middle East in the center. In his speech, the Secretary General of Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Abdul Rahman Ibn Hamad Al-Atiyyah called for approving the Crown Prince's address as an official document of the conference, expressing the GCC General Secretariat's support for the Crown Prince's proposal to set up an International Center for Combating Terrorism . Al-Atiyyah stressed that the conference embodies the Kingdom and GCC member states' inalienable stand on renouncing and condemning all forms and sources of terrorism. In a similar speech, Dr. Abdullah Ibn Abdul Mohsin Al-Turki , the Secretary General of Muslim World League expressed his appreciation of the Kingdom for the organization of this great job which demonstrates the Kingdom's Islamic and international position. He praised the Crown Prince's proposal for setting up an International Center for Combating terrorism. Dr. Al-Turki emphasized that terrorism is one of the greatest human crimes which Islam forbids, adding that the League has prepared an intensive world program to combat terrorism. Then princes and heads of delegations greeted the Crown Prince who later graced a banquet on this occasion. The inaugural ceremony and the luncheon party were attended by a number of princes, ministers and officials. Then princes and heads of delegations greeted the Crown Prince who later graced a banquet on this occasion. The inaugural ceremony and the luncheon party were attended by a number of princes, ministers and officials. The Crown Prince also separately received at his office at King Abdulaziz International Center of Conferences Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister and Head of his country's delegation to the Conference Sadiq Safoyev and the accompanying delegation and the Arab League Secretary General Amr Mousa. During the meetings, they discussed topics on the Conference's agenda. The audiences were attended by Prince Abdul Aziz Ibn Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, Minister of State, Member of the Cabinet and Chief of the Court of Cabinet's Presidency. Then Crown Prince Abdullah received at his office at King Abdul Aziz International Center of Conferences the U.S. Assistant President, Internal Security Advisor and Head of the United States' delegation to the Conference Francis Towsend and her accompanying delegation. The U.S. official conveyed to the Crown Prince the greetings of U.S. President George W. Bush. In turn, the Crown Prince sent his greetings to the U.S. President. They also discussed topics on the Conference's agenda. The audience was attended by Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister and Deputy Chairman of the Conference, Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz, Minister of State, Member of the Cabinet and Chief of the Court of Cabinet's Presidency and U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom James Oberwetter. Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Interior Minister and head of the anti-terrorism conference, chaired the first general session of the conference. In an address, the Minister explained that during the last two years, Saudi Arabia witnessed 22 terrorist acts including bombings, attacks and hijacks. He added that these criminal acts led to the killing of 90 people and injury of 507 people. Ninety security men were martyred and 213 security men were injured because of these terrorist acts. He noted that of the deviant group, 92 people were killed and 17 were injured. Damage exceeding SR1 billion had resulted from these terrorist acts. The Minister stated that security efforts aborted 52 terrorist acts. Speeches by participating delegations were delivered afterwards. Following is Prince Naif's speech: Bism Allah Arrahman Arrahim Praise be to Allah, and May His Peace and Blessings be upon the Noblest of Prophets and Messengers, our Prophet Mohammed. At the beginning of this session, I have great pleasure to welcome you in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and to convey to you my thanks and appreciation for accepting the invitation to participate in this Conference. Let me also express to you my best wishes of success for this Conference. This Conference seeks to strengthen cooperation between states, elaborate clear views on this issue, and exchange experience and expertise in a bid to arrive at recommendations to serve the international community in combating the phenomenon of terrorism. The Conference will be focusing on the principal themes of clarifying the root causes, ideology, and culture of terrorism, as well as the link between terrorism and money laundering, arms trafficking, and drug smuggling. In addition, the Conference will explore the lessons learned from the experience of states in combating terrorism and the identification of terrorist organizations and their structures. As you are well aware, terrorism has not just emerged today. In fact, down the ages societies have suffered this scourge and today it has become an organized crime with its own defining characteristics in terms of organization and financing. Therefore, the international community is today more than ever in dire need of strengthening cooperation between states at all domestic, regional, and international levels in order to tackle the motivation for terrorism and eradicate its root-causes. The Council of Arab Ministers of the Interior has been perhaps one of the pioneers in adopting an Arab Convention on Combating Terrorism, which was ratified by both the Council of Arab Ministers of the Interior and the Council of Arab Ministers of Justice in 1998. In calling for this international conference, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has acted on its awareness of the seriousness of terrorism and the need to fight it. That is because terrorism has become an international phenomenon that has nothing in common with any specific religion, society, or culture. Saudi Arabia has been among the targets of terrorism and the Saudi people have suffered its adversities. That is why the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been in the vanguard of states combating terrorism, acting in full conviction of its tolerant Islamic faith and its authentic Arab values. The terrorist events that have been witnessed by this country have been perpetrated by a minority of miscreants who claimed that their crimes were motivated by religion. This is such a patently false claim because their crimes in reality have nothing to do with the true Islamic faith. In fact, they have just been the purveyors of a delinquent ideology that has lost its way and forsaken the tolerant teachings of Islam, feeding instead on alien ideas that have caused damage to human life and property. In the last two years, Saudi Arabia has witnessed 22 criminal incidents including explosions, attacks, and kidnapping causing the death of 90 citizens and foreign nationals and injuring 507 people. Thirty nine security troops were martyred and 213 among them were injured, whereas 92 terrorists of this miscreant minority were killed and 17 of them wounded. Material losses in property and damage to facilities have exceeded 1 billion dollars. It is thanks to Allah's grace and their alertness that the security forces have been able to foil a total of 52 terrorist operations in pre-emptive strikes that have thwarted the occurrence of any further loss in life or property. The whole of the Saudi society without exception has successfully stood firm against these miscreants and has demonstrated resolute determination to strongly and ably defeat their purpose in conformity with the directives and affirmations of His Royal Highness Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Crown Prince, Deputy Premier, and Commander of the National Guard. In fact, terrorism is not just an act, but the product of an aberrant ideology that must be fought. That is why the onus of the responsibility lies with all societies, with all their institutions, to confront and combat terrorism since, just as the security institutions have their obligations, cultural (academic, mass media, and educational) institutions have a great responsibility to inculcate the right ideals and sound human values and to immunize societies against any delinquent ideas or evil deeds. Early on, we have fully realized the importance of conducting the necessary scientific studies and research on the phenomenon of terrorism, including its motivations, actions and remedies. We hope that efforts will be combined around the world to assume the responsibility of combatting terrorism so that everyone can be assured of living in safety and dignity. I thank you for your attention. From his side the Algerian President A. Bouteflika sent a letter to the conference, in which he said that the defeat of terrorism and extremism will involve coordinated actions and that it is only political, diplomatic and legal efforts that can help enhance international cooperation in combating terrorism.