Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has thanked the leaders of the nations that participated in the North Thunder military exercises for ensuring their troops are ready to meet any threat.
Chairing the Cabinet meeting at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh on Monday, King Salman said the maneuvers were aimed solely at preparing Arab and Muslim nations to defend their territories, according to a statement carried by SPA.
King Salman also briefed the Cabinet on the outcome of his talks with leaders held on the sidelines of the military exercises.
The Cabinet welcomed the outcome of the fifth joint meeting of the foreign ministers of GCC countries and Jordan and Morocco; the joint ministerial meeting with the Yemeni deputy prime minister and foreign minister; the meetings of the 138th session of the GCC; and the 24th meeting of GCC information ministers.
The Cabinet praised the resolutions of the 145th session of the Arab League foreign ministers’ meeting that ended recently in Cairo, which included declaring Hezbollah a terrorist organization and the denunciation of Iran for its interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries.
The Cabinet stated that the decision showed that the Arab League was concerned about fighting terrorism and those elements seeking to undermine the security of fellow countries, which was in contravention of the principles of the UN and international law.
The Cabinet also welcomed the resolution of the Arab interior ministers’ meeting in Tunisia, which condemned Hezbollah for what it described as dangerous practices and activities aimed at destabilizing several Arab states.
The Cabinet ministers, in their weekly meeting, condemned the terrorist attacks across the world including in Turkey, the Tunisian town of Ben Guerdane and the beach resort of Grand Bassam in the Ivory Coast.
The Kingdom was determined to counter-terrorism in all its forms and cut off funding to these groups, the ministers said.
On the domestic front, the Cabinet highlighted the recent statement issued by the Interior Ministry, which outlawed all forms of support and communication with Hezbollah, with heavy penalties including jail and fines, and deportation for expatriates.(Arab News)
Link: http://www.arabnews.com/featured/news/895461
20
