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December 17, 2004 |
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THE CROWN PRINCE CALLS UPON YOUNG PEOPLE TO ABOVE ALL SERVE ISLAM, THE RELIGION OF JUSTICE, LAW AND MORALITY. PRINCE TURKI AL-FAISAL AT THE ARAB STRATEGY FORUM IN DUBAI: TO DEFEAT TERRORISM THE ONGOING INTERNATIONAL CONFLICTS THAT FUEL IT MUST BE RESOLVED. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, received at his palace in Riyadh Ulema, thinkers, writers, intellectuals and youths who have participated in the 4th National Forum for Intellectual Dialogue, organized by King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue in the Eastern Region over the last three days in Dammam. The event was patronized by Prince Mohammed Ibn Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of the Eastern Region. Addressing the meeting, Sheikh Salih Al Hossain, the General President for the Grand Mosque and Prophet Mosque Affairs, said 650 female and male youths in addition to 40 educational guides and those interested in thought and culture took part in the workshop-like meetings. Then Sheikh Al Hossain handed the forum's final communiqué and recommendations to Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz. On his part, Sheikh Mohammed Ibn Zaid Al Sulaiman, Chief Judge of the Eastern Region who is also member of the Supreme Ulema Commission, lauded Crown Prince Abdullah's unprecedented initiative to hold periodical national intellectual dialogue meetings through out the Kingdom. Representatives of youths also made short speeches, lauding the idea of dialogue and calling for its continuation. On his part, Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz expressed pleasure to see "the culture of dialogue started to crystallize in the Saudi society, our problems to be addressed in a frank way and our concerns are tackled in sincerity according to the Islamic principle of Shoura (consultation)". He vowed that the Saudi leadership and authorities would listen to the voices of youths with open hearts and conscious minds as youths are the best to speak about their problems and present their ideas. He said the deviant group has defamed Islam, which is innocent of what they do in the religion's name. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, said that a culture of dialogue is emerging in the Kingdom, expressing satisfaction that its citizens were now exchanging views openly. It is gratifying to see the culture of dialogue is starting to spread in Saudi society, that we are discussing our problems openly, we are speaking sincerely about our worries and we are exchanging views on all questions. Crown Prince Abdullah was speaking as he received participants who took part in a recent session of the country's National Dialogue, on the problems of young people. The session recommended setting up student unions, which could lead to elections of student councils in Saudi universities. He called on young people to above all serve their religion, adding that Islam was a religion of justice, law and morality. But the Crown Prince once again attacked Saudi Arabia's radical Islamists, saying that more than terrorism ... they have tarnished the reputation of Islam. The national dialogue was set up in 2003 with a first session held in the capital Riyadh and subsequent meetings have been held In the holy cities of Makkah and Medina. Saudi Arabia has been stung by a slew of extremist attacks since last year, the latest being the deadly strike on the US consulate in Jeddah that left five non-American staff and contractors dead. The reception was attended by Prince Sultan Ibn Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, the General President of Youth Welfare; Prince Abdul Aziz Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Advisor at the Crown Prince's Court; Prince Mansour Ibn Nassir Ibn Abdul Aziz; Prince Dr. Bandar Ibn Salman Ibn Mohammed Al Saud, Advisor at the Crown Prince's Court, ministers and a number of officials. The guests and attendees had lunch with Crown Prince Abdullah. During the three days, 60 youngsters discussed with their adult peers and officials of the King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue major issues that directly affect them: education, culture, citizenship, and labor and employment. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz initiated the series of national debates. The first, landmark round was held in Riyadh in June 2003 and ended with a call for wide-ranging reforms. It also led to the establishment of the King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue, which hosted a second round in Makkah last December during which participants adopted a series of recommendations on combating extremism. The third round gathered male and female thinkers and researchers in Madina June 12 through 14 to discuss women s rights and duties in the Kingdom where women have little say in national affairs. Neighbourhood dialogue centers for Saudi youths will be established in cities and villages throughout the Kingdom to address their problems and concerns. The youth dialogue centers to be set up in cities, municipalities and far-flung villages will be managed by a council whose members are experts on youth affairs. The centers will deal on issues and problems facing young Saudis today, including education, job, social and cultural values, and terrorism, said Faisal A. Al-Muammar, Secretary General of the King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue (KACND). He said the establishment of neighbourhood dialogue centers for young people is the major recommendation of the Fourth National Dialogue convened in Eastern Province by the KACND and concluded last Thursday. The dialogue focused on Saudi youths. The centers will be our first front-line in zeroing in to problems of our youngsters; we need to have a dialogue with them, and the experts on every problem will be there to provide the counsel. Al-Muammar said the youth dialogue centers will look into and research the social problems (of the youths), bridge the gap between them and the society, the government, enterprises, and those of the authorities. He said the center will also examine the quality of village life, the religious beliefs and leaning of the inhabitants, and the kind of development needed. The delegates to the forum 60 young people and scholars and business leaders have totally rejected terrorism and the actions of terrorists against our country, Muammar said. The neighbourhood dialogue centers will be most effective in telling our young people that terrorism is not the option for their frustrations their frustration on the state of education, lack of job opportunities, and the outside influences that erode their social values and love for country. According to the KACND official, the center found out during the series of workshops it conducted Kingdom wide and attended by 650 Saudi youths, of whom 60 were selected to sit at the forum, the lack of venues within which dialogue with the young people could be conducted was brought. We are hoping that the centers would provide the best option in telling our young people that we value their contribution, he said. Ahmad Adul Azzam, a delegate from Makkah and Madina who has been conducting group discussions for Saudi youths on the best ways to address their problems, said it is the lack of the proper understanding on the part of Saudi youngsters of the pillars of how to construct, build and come into conclusion as to the right path of life. Many of our youths are tracking the wrong way of Fatwa. This is because of their weaknesses and shallow understanding of Islam, Azzam said. The dialogue center could provide the right direction with the interaction of the youth and religious leaders. The delegates to the fourth KACND forum came out with consensus on the four issues they tackled during the last three days. The delegates concluded that the Saudi educational system needs to be reformed. They said incompetent teachers must be weeded out, the curriculum needs drastic changes to cope with the demand of the labor market and the global economy, renovation of old school and university infrastructures that are no longer conducive to healthy learning, and equal opportunities for all to compete and enter career preferences. We need more concentrations on science and technology and courses that would provide better job opportunities upon graduation, said delegate Mahmoud Sabbagh of Jeddah. Saudi youths demanded more jobs in the private sector. The delegates concluded that national companies and enterprises must not only give job priority to Saudis, but also extend job and technical training to allow them to compete and build their expertise. On this case, the private business sector must become a willing partner for our youth, said Khalid H.A. Al-Qahtani, a leading business leader from Eastern Province. On the issue of nationalism, the delegates said the authorities must do more to safeguard the Kingdom, strengthen security measures, and promote the fostering of unity among citizens. They said terrorism is not bred in the Kingdom; that it was brought from outside, and it is alien to majority of Saudis. The consensus arrived at during the forum will be crystallized into strong recommendations to be submitted to appropriate bodies, according to Al-Muammar. He said that, as in the previous three meetings conducted by the Center for National Dialogue, the recommendations of the forum on the youth will be endorsed for action. The nation is now focused on four issues that need to be seriously tackled wide-ranging reforms, fighting terrorism, women s rights, and opportunities for the Saudi youths. We at the Center for National Dialogue are keeping our fingers crossed that we achieve all these. We need to go on properly in our lives. The 4th National Forum for Intellectual Dialogue issued the following recommendations: * Set up a strategy to evaluate and develop the frameworks of all levels of education, taking into account current constants, changes and challenges facing society, as well as the accelerating growth in population. * Develop educational curricula to achieve the correct scientific and intellectual upbringing of the youth, while giving attention to mechanisms that develop the implementation aspect, development of critical thinking skills, creativity and self-correction for good conduct, establishing the values of moderateness, respect of others, and training on dialogue and discussion skills. * Widen the scope of usage of modern educational means, such as laboratories, workshops and computer systems, in a way that combines education with training and ties theory with practice, and develops the ability to deduce information. * Hasten the process of spreading higher education institutions throughout the Kingdom, set up mechanisms that provide admissions in various stages of higher education in a way that corresponds with the rapid growth in the numbers of high school graduates, and achieves harmony between desires and needs, but without affecting the high quality of higher education in the Kingdom, and focuses on scientific fields that are appropriate for the labor market. * Give attention to scientific research and groom and develop the abilities of the youth in this regard; establish a fund to develop scientific research; continuous development of educators skills through specialized programs and training courses; provide incentives for the distinguished among them; review the guidelines and parameters that govern their performance in every level of education. * Develop the personal abilities of students through encouraging extracurricular activities, treating negative aspects in them, working to make them take part in building the future through student unions and councils; hasten building government school buildings instead of temporary and rented buildings, and equipping them with whatever provides an appropriate learning environment. * Study the issue of unemployment to reveal its extent and dangers; set up programs that can treat it; and set up a supreme commission for human resources that organizes the process of employment in public and private sectors and coordinate the efforts of all concerned authorities in this regard. * Develop the mechanisms of Saudization project, bring the private sector into participating in shaping it; intensify training programs, benefiting from specialized institutions in the field of training, and developing skills to provide qualified manpower; develop labor regulations, setting a minimum wage system and determining working hours in a way that guarantees job security, but balancing the interests of business owners with the rights of workers. * Spread the values of work, initiative, responsibility, team spirit, and discipline; establish the principle of justice, providing job opportunities; fighting corruption. * Invest current financial resources in a way that provides sustained future resources, through giving attention to productive projects; set up a generations fund to which both the government and the private sector will contribute. * Positively reach out to other cultures; taking advantage of globalization while reinforcing self-immunity among the youth; giving the youth a leadership role in civil institutions and making their involvement in public affairs easier; encouraging constant communication among young people with their different inclinations; spreading the culture of dialogue and respect of others opinions; calling on youth-oriented institutions to give more attention to their scientific, social and athletic needs and dedicate programs to the talented among them. * Give the youth more access to information through setting up cultural institutions and centers, literary clubs and libraries all over the Kingdom, with the priority given to remote areas, and providing those institutions with finances, and giving attention to young men with special needs and orphans, and reviewing regulations and programs pertaining to them; encouraging young men to take part in all kinds of voluntary work, setting up a national center for voluntary work and supervising its programs, and attracting all youths to participate in it. On the other hand and on behalf of Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, Prince Salman Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Riyadh Region, opened the third Saudi technological conference and exhibition. The speech of the Crown Prince, which was delivered by Prince Salman, highlighted the kingdom's great efforts to train and employ Saudis. The Minister of Labour Dr Ghazi Al-Gosaibi delivered a speech in which he welcomed Prince Salman Ibn Abdul Aziz and the attendance. He praised the two national initiatives to employ Saudis and the national media campaign for training and Saudization. He urged Saudi youth who look for employment to register their details with the committee of the campaign and take advantage of the opportunity. The Minister ended his speech by thanking Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz for patronizing the event. The event was attended by a number of princes, ministers and officials. The conference discussed modern trends in technological and vocational training and scientific and technological research. In Dubai Prince Turki Al-Faisal Al-Saud Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the United Kingdom and Ireland told the Arab Strategy Forum Al Qaeda's attack on the U.S. consulate in Saudi Arabia this month is a sign of the group's "despair" after an 18-month crackdown by security forces. "It was unfortunate but expected. It's a form of despair and (militants) want to prove they exist." In the past year and a half, Saudi security forces have either killed or arrested 19 of the 26 most wanted al Qaeda militants. Prince Turki Al-Faisal, said his country was committed to fighting al Qaeda but the group had not yet been defeated. "It's still not over. Many people have been brainwashed...by these evil cults...and are willing to sacrifice their lives for this twisted ideology," he said. Prince Turki Al-Faisal, told the forum that those who oppose reform in the kingdom will ultimately be defeated. "The internal forces ... that resist change and development and will oppose any form of economic and resultant social change ... will finally submit to the overwhelming calls for development by the majority of the people," he said. Prince Turki Al-Faisal also said that there would not be peace in the region unless the US shifted its bias in favor of Israel. Prince Turki al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United Kingdom, was pessimistic, telling the same forum that he believed any opportunity Arafat's death may have created for progress in Middle East peace talks was offset by America's pro-Israeli stance. "As long as the world remains passive and America remains a strong supporter of Israel that offers any form of support requested, and accepts anything from any prime minister of Israel regardless of his (or) her extremism, then Israel will never seek to compromise or to reach a settlement," the prince said According to Prince Turki Al-Faisal, the world in 2020 will see the emergence of China and India as new global powers,. "The world in 2020 will be divided into a number of different primary powers - Europe, America, China, India and Russia, and secondary ones, South America (led by Brazil), an African coalition led by South Africa and East Asia led by Japan," stated Prince Turki. He was speaking at the opening session of The Arab Strategy Forum titled 'The Arab World in 2020'. Prince Turki said that, "The Arab world will not emerge as a regional power under the confines of its post-independence period, as a loose collection of different countries. I predict that a group of countries will be able to make a unified market that will include Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Iraq, Turkey, Iran and Pakistan as well as certain neighbouring countries such as the Gulf countries of Yemen, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. There will also be another group that joins the North African Maghreb states. This group will be far more linked to the Mediterranean European states than to other Arab countries." He added that the success and failure within these two groupings will be determined by their success and failure in economic and political development as well as their own stability. Speaking about the future prospects of the Arab World, Prince Turki said: "The future faces a lots of dangers and risks. Although we have futuristic studies that would give us indications on what is expected to happen in the future, the future is subjected to conditions and developments that we can not foresee." "The Arab World would be multipolar in 2020. Europe, US, China, India, and other powers like the Latin America, and East Asia would rise. The world might be more stable after so many conflicts. The Arab World would try to play a role in the new world, but unfortunately the Arab World would not be one of the powers that I have mentioned earlier," he said, explaining that the Arab World might be an economic power in the modern world and would enhance economic relations with Pakistan, North African countries, European countries, among others. The Arab economies would accept globilisation, except for the highly populated countries that would maintain the guided economy like Egypt and Iran, Prince Turki said. "The US would keep bases in the Arab countries. The Iraqi policy would also change after implementing the electoral process. The US would link the Iraqi economy with the US economy through free trade and transfer of technology," he pointed out. Following the death of president Yasser Arafat, the Arab World is expecting a solution for the Palestinian problem, Prince Turki explained, noting that the world has been witnessing the ugliest pictures of oppression from Israel and the US is supporting the policies adopted by the Israeli government, no matter how extreme these policies are. "Israel would not accept any agreement and the Palestinians have nothing else to lose. The Israelis would realise how important it is to sign agreements with the Arabs. Israel would become highly advanced, but there would be a psychological war between Israel and the Arab World," Prince Turki said. In London in a characteristically direct speech to the Defense and Security Forum, Prince Turki Al-Faisal, Ambassador to the UK, set out in detail the war on terror from the Saudi perspective. His speech was made in the aftermath of the audacious attack on the US Consulate in Jeddah two days earlier. "I believe there is no justification for terrorism of any kind anywhere," Prince Turki said. "The horrific indiscriminate killing of innocent people goes against the basic belief of civilized man and the sanctity of innocent human life." His speech examined the evolution of the current phase of terrorism and the difficulty of tackling it in its current form, its financing, recruitment; he also asked how terrorists communicate and spread their messages. He left the delegates in no doubt that terrorism is an indiscriminate evil which disregards race, religion and nationality and runs counter to the values of civilized mankind yet ironically divides them. "This evil force has divided individuals and communities and eaten away at our understanding of one another," he said. A major factor in fuelling terrorism, he felt, was the glaring double standards applied to the Middle East by the US. This helped fuel the discontent underpinning the disaffection that terror organizations rely on as a seedbed for new recruits. Referring to the attacks of 9/11 and others in the Middle East and Jeddah, he said that the attacks and the challenges we face in countering are global in perspective and have a global effect on stability, security, and economic well-being. After reviewing the religious and political ideologies that have been used to justify terrorism in the past, Al-Faisal pointed out that Al-Qaeda asserted itself by claiming it is carrying out some twisted form of jihad. "They claim religious authority where they have none. In doing this, they have dragged Islam into a maelstrom of misunderstanding." He said that even though the international community people of all faiths, Muslims, Christians and Jews condemn this wicked perversity, it has driven a wedge between people, spread doubt and divided friends. "Religion cannot and must not be used in any way to justify terror," he said. "The acts of Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups are wholly wicked and totally unjustifiable. They defile Islam." Pointing to the 10,000 terror attacks that have taken place in the last five years, he said that over 300 groups had been involved and that the complexity of motives went far beyond a single philosophy. He moved further to separate terror groups from religion in general and Islam in particular. Terrorism is funded by donations from sympathizers and by misdirected funds from charitable groups both inside and outside the Kingdom; much of the money is intended for humanitarian aid, Al-Faisal contended. "We also know that they are collecting funds worldwide through the drugs trade, money laundering and the fraudulent use of credit cards." The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks on the United States, an independent commission set up by the US government in the wake of 9/11, has recently reported that there is no evidence of Saudi government funding of Al-Qaeda. It concluded, "We found no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution, or senior officials within the Saudi government funded Al-Qaeda." To intercept any possible flow of funds, Saudi Arabia has set up a Financial Intelligence Unit to monitor financial transactions, a High Commission to oversee contributions and donations to charities and has also frozen all accounts suspected of having links with terrorist groups. An international Task Force in June this year concluded that the measures put in place by the Kingdom were in line with the best international practices. Referring to the source of recruits for terror organizations, Prince Turki Al-Faisal said that the groups had fed on the unhappiness and discontent of disaffected youth. "They have turned their innocent disaffection into hate, and their youthful anger into terror." The most dangerous element of today's terrorism is its ability to inflict mass killing and destruction indiscriminately on civilians and non-civilians as in Beslan in Chechnya or in Madrid. "The targeting of civilians on a mass scale marks an extraordinary turn in terrorism. These indiscriminate attacks have spawned a fear in the world community, a fear of movement and travel and a fear of one another." He stressed the determination of the Kingdom to pursue its anti-terrorism policy that was put in place long before 9/11. Quoting Crown Prince Abdullah, he said, "It is the terrorists who are our enemies, and security will be imposed on them by force. Every enemy will be tracked down, no matter how long it takes." In June 2004, the Saudi security forces eliminated the top terrorist leader of Al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia, Abdul Aziz Al-Muqrin , and three of his closest aides. More of the terrorists have recently been arrested or killed. At present 19 of the 26 known senior Al-Qaeda operatives have been killed or captured and five of the six known operating cells in the Kingdom have been infiltrated and all but one eradicated. The attack in Jeddah earlier this month, though disheartening, showed how swiftly and effectively Saudi forces can act. Four of the five terrorists perpetrating the attack were killed and the other was arrested. Gently reminding the audience that making a generalization about a society from the actions of a few is unreliable, he quoted Crown Prince Abdullah, "The people who committed the acts at Abu Ghraib are a small group of deviants. I'm absolutely sure... that they do not represent the American people who have high moral standards. The people who committed those terrible acts on Sept. 11 were not representative of the Saudi people. The American people are pure and good as are the Saudi people. Small groups of deviants do not represent their respective societies." Al-Faisal identified four critical areas the international community needed to address in order to be effective in controlling terrorism. First, solidifying international cooperation on all fronts: Politically, financially and in the field of security. Second, putting in place effective preventive measures through intelligence sharing. Third, promoting cultural understanding through better dialogues between civilizations, cultures and religions and by promoting tolerance and thus defeating the preachers of hate. Fourth, resolving ongoing international conflicts that fuel terrorism. He chose two pertinent cases: Palestine and Iraq. Al-Faisal said that over 60 years ago, King Abdul Aziz warned both Neville Chamberlain and Franklin D. Roosevelt of the potential for conflict that lay in unresolved issues between Israel and Palestine. In a similar warning to President Truman, the king received agreement that "the Palestinian problem is the most difficult problem facing the world." Prince Turki Al-Faisal said, "Here we are five decades later and it is still the most difficult problem facing the world. Why?" The answer, he said, was plain. "The world has used a set of double standards in dealing with our region, one rule for Israel and another for everyone else." When any other country flouted UN resolutions, he said, the reaction was ultimately swift and hard Iraq was the latest example. "Israel has repeatedly flouted a multitude of United Nations resolutions calling on it to halt its aggression, to withdraw to agreed international borders, and to cease unlawful and forceful acquisition of property and land." No action has ever been taken against Israel to force it to comply with even one of these resolutions. Instead the international community and specifically the United States has continued to supply Israel with billions of dollars worth of arms and support. "The idea of American and British solders invading Israel to force it to comply with UN resolutions appears to be as fanciful as the idea that the world will be invaded by men from Mars." On July 9 this year, the International Court of Justice condemned the Israeli wall and pointed out the damage that its construction would inevitably do to any prospect for peace. The court concluded that the wall violates the human rights of Palestinians and must be dismantled. The ruling said that Israel is under an obligation "to cease forthwith the works of construction on the wall being built in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including in and around East Jerusalem, to dismantle forthwith the structure therein situated." Israel's response has been to carry on building. When complete, the wall will be over 400 miles long four times longer than the Berlin Wall. After cataloguing a substantial list of statistics supporting the effective undermining of Palestine's infrastructure and society through economic, physical and military measures, Prince Turki Al-Faisal said that Saudi Arabia, along with other Arab countries, has clearly expressed its interest in reaching a peaceful solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict which will be based on international legitimacy and the principle of peace for land. Crown Prince Abdullah's plan called for total Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories, according to UN resolutions, in return for total Arab recognition of Israel. This plan was approved by all the Arab states and welcomed by the United Nations but remains unaccepted by the Israeli government. In 2003 the Security Council adopted resolution 1397 that envisioned two states Israel and Palestine living within secure and recognized borders. "Yet ongoing Israeli actions destroy the possibility of achieving that vision. I believe, as do many others, both within and without the Arab world, that our fight against terrorism and for peace and stability will never succeed until a just and comprehensive solution is found for the Palestinian people in which they have the right to self-determination. This comprehensive peace requires determined action from the international community and particularly from the leading powers in the United Nations." Saudi Arabia has proposed that American and British forces should be replaced by Muslim forces in Iraq, that the United Nations, America, Britain and Muslim countries should sit down and discuss this proposition in all its aspects and ramifications. "We are still awaiting a response." Prince Turki Al-Faisal hoped that with new leadership in the US, there might be a real drive to find a peaceful solution for the region and, in doing so, to cut off the fuel that feeds terrorism. "The battle against terrorism is one we cannot afford to lose. To win it we must remain vigilant at all times in order to protect the innocent; we must act fairly in our dealings with individual nations and we must work together as a unified civilized international community to rid our precious world of this evil." In Riyadh the Kingdom's General Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Ibn Abdullah Al Al Sheikh has condemned and deplored the terror act which targeted the US consulate in Jeddah on Monday, Dec 6, 2004. In a statement published in Jeddah-based 'Al-Madina' newspapers today, Al Al Sheikh sad attacking the US consulate, throwing explosives at it, killing and frightening innocent people, and undermining stability and security run counter to the teachings of Islam, and are viewed as a gross mistake. Al Al Sheikh made it clear that all persons who have legally entered the Kingdom with the permission of its rulers have the right to live in a secured and peaceful environment. He confirmed that no a Muslim scholar has ever approved such shameful and criminal acts. In Riyadh Prince Naif Arab University for Security Sciences has ended the meetings of a symposium on counter terrorism organized by the training college for five days with the participation of 92 experts from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Sudan, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Egypt and Yemen. Dr Abdul Aziz Al-Ghamdi, University Chairman, said the symposium discussed ways of gaining skills in responding to terrorist acts, negotiations with hostage-takers, crisis management and the role of Islam in combating terrorism. He briefed the attendance on the activities of the University and its experience in the fight to combat terrorism and the efforts of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers in combating terrorism and the Kingdom's experience in this regard. Dr Al-Ghamdi stressed the importance of international cooperation in the fight against terrorism, especially electronic and cyberspace terrorism. |
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