Iranian meddling a threat to peace

Manama  : The Arab Ministerial Quartet Committee yesterday strongly condemned Iran’s meddling in the internal affairs of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, terming it as a constant threat to “regional and international efforts to solve the issues and crises of the region by peaceful means”. 

This came during the seventh meeting of the Arab Ministerial Quartet Committee to follow up the developments of the crisis with Iran and ways to address their interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries.

Bahrain was represented at the conference by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa. The meeting was held yesterday on the sidelines of the Arab League meeting at the ministerial level of its 149th ordinary meeting in Cairo, the Arab Republic of Egypt.

The communiqué issued at the meeting praised the ability of security authorities of Bahrain to thwart terrorist acts and plots and reiterated support for the measures taken by Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to combat these acts of aggression to protect their security and stability.

Bahrain recently arrested 116 members of a terrorist group backed by Iranian Revolutionary Guards and its foreign forces, including the Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Hezbollah. 

The meeting also expressed deep concern about Iran’s inciting sectarianism in Arab countries, including its support and arming of terrorist militias in some Arab countries. 

“This hinders regional and international efforts to solve the issues and crises of the region by peaceful means and the committee demanded that such actions must stop.”

The Committee condemned Iran’s continuing support for terrorist and subversive acts in Arab countries, including the continued firing of ballistic missiles from within Yemeni territory into Saudi Arabia. “This constitutes a flagrant violation of Security Council resolution 2216 (2015), which states that the militias must not be armed,” the meeting said. 

Iran’s commitment under the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan (JCPOA), and the ability of this agreement to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons in the future, especially in light of Iran’s hostile policies in the region were also reviewed during the meeting. The Committee also stressed the need to monitor the developments of this issue.

It also stressed the need for Iran to comply with Security Council resolution 2231 (2015) regarding its missile programme and the need to implement an effective mechanism to verify the implementation of the agreement. 

Statute of Arab Court for Human Rights

On the sidelines of the 149th Ordinary Session, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shaikh Khalid signed the minutes of the Statute of the Arab Court for Human Rights with the Arab League Secretary-General, Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

Establishment of the Arab court for human rights came as a result of the initiative of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the proposal submitted by Bahrain to the Arab League. 

“This reflects the keenness of His Majesty the King to promote respect for rights and freedoms and also highlights the importance placed by the Kingdom of Bahrain to granting and protecting human rights,” said the Minister. 

Separately, the Minister held a discussion with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Sameh Shoukry. 

The meeting highlighted the relations between Bahrain and Egypt and stressed the importance of continued coordination regarding all issues in various regional and international forums. The meeting also discussed the latest regional developments as well as the issues on the agenda of the meeting.

On the same day, the Minister of Foreign Affairs also took part in the meeting of the Ministerial Committee of the Arab Peace Initiative.

The Committee discussed the latest developments towards Al-Quds Al-Sharif, the efforts and movements exerted by the mini-committee formed by the Council of the Arab League, the Palestinian efforts and moves in the international arena, and the participation of President Mahmoud Abbas in the meeting of the Security Council.

The meeting also discussed the latest developments in the Palestinian issue at the regional and international levels.