FILE - Arab League
CAIRO – 6 December 2017: The Arab League has adopted, at the permanent representative level, an Egyptian resolution to develop the Arab counterterrorism system, according to an official statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.
It was added that the adoption comes shortly after the terrorist attack on the Al-Rawdah mosque in Arish, North Sinai where 311 innocent civilians were killed during Friday prayers.
Commenting on the adoption, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid said that the resolution comes in line with efforts undertaken to build a general consensus in support of the Egyptian counterterrorism vision in various regional and international forums.
He explained that this resolution comes only two days after the UN's General Assembly adopting the Egyptian resolution to condemn the Al-Rawdah attack and all terrorist actions against religious sites.
Abu Zeid added that the resolution appreciates the Egyptian role and efforts in the counterterrorism field, expressing strong condemnation of the Al-Rawdah attack and all criminal actions carried out by terrorist organizations.
The resolution further adopts the Egyptian vision regarding the comprehensiveness of confronting terrorism from all dimensions without selectivity.
It emphasizes the state's right to take all measures to drive back terrorist threats that endanger the safety and security of its societies. The resolution stressed that combating terrorism is a pivotal human right, as outlined by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.
Abu Zeid added that the resolution called for implementing the Arab Convention for the Suppression of Terrorism signed in 1998. It called for ratifying the amendments made to Article 1.3 of the Convention defining a terrorist offence and criminalizing incitement of terrorist crimes and glorifying them, in addition to criminalizing all forms of supporting and funding terrorism.
The resolution emphasized the commitment of member states to the UN Global Counterterrorism Strategy and the Security Council's related resolutions, among which is resolution 2354 adopted with an Egyptian initiative, about the comprehensive, international framework to counter extremist narratives.
The Arab countries emphasized in the resolution the importance of reinforcing cooperation in the framework of the Arab Convention to Combat Cyber Crimes to deprive terrorist organizations of using information technology to broadcast their ideology and extremist propaganda.
They also noted the need to swiftly implement the Egyptian initiative to hold a joint meeting of Arab ministers of interior and justice to discuss means of activating the security and judiciary agreements, modernizing the Arab counterterrorism strategy adopted in 1997.
Abu Zeid concluded his remarks, noting that the Arab resolution re-emphasized the importance of holding an international conference under the auspices of the United Nations or a special session of the General Assembly to discuss the terrorism phenomenon and prepare a global, comprehensive agreement that includes an agreed upon specific definition of terrorism that distinguishes it from the legitimate right to resist occupation.
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