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Radical movements must be confronted: Gargash

Common tools need to be used to fight terror at all levels including on-ground coordination to successfully conclude the military campaign and the war against terror, says Minister.

Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash and other participants at the Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate. — Wam

The international community must have a mutual understanding about the risks and challenges the world is currently facing, affirmed Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash.

“We ... need to ... confront ideological and radical movements ... and use the common tools at hand to fight terror at all levels, including on-ground coordination to successfully conclude the military campaign and the war against terror. We need to choke the fund inflow to these flashpoints,” Dr Gargash said in his inaugural speech at the opening session of the Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate 2014, being organised by the Emirates Policy Centre in collaboration with the UAE Foreign Ministry, which began on Sunday morning at Emirates Palace.

Talking about Iran, he said there is a “marked difference” between Iran as a society and Iran as a state with its expansionist policy. “We welcome Iran as a neighbour, yet its expansionist policy and interference in Arab countries likes Bahrain, Yemen, Iraq and Syria provokes sectarian turmoil and unrest, which results in instability and spread of chaos,” Gargash pointed out. “We reject all attempts to change our world through extremist movements.”

Objectives of debate

Announcing the opening of the debate, Dr Ebtisam Al Ketbi, Chairwoman of the Emirates Policy Centre, said the objective of holding this debate is to seek a “bright future” for the world and the entire region. The debate will also contribute to creating and reinforcing a common awareness between the Mena region and the rest of the world about the risks and opportunities posed by “regime transformation”.

Al Ketbi said the GCC countries are situated in a geo-strategic area, where international interests intersect. “All the forces that wanted to impose themselves as the top regional power have failed.”

Such attempts, she said, aggravated conflicts, bringing instability to the region.

The UAE, she said, has “transparently introduced a positive model that possesses all elements of strength” so as to “cooperate with the international community”.

This model, she said, contributes to crystallising a regional system based on cooperation and common interest which could bring regional stability. “It is impossible to put an end to the ISIS without fighting the catalytic environment that produced such a phenomenon,” she noted.

malzarooni@khaleejtimes.com