‘Unite against terrorism’

Jakarta : Saudi Arabia’s King and  Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques  Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud called yesterday for a united fight against terrorism in a speech to Indonesia’s parliament during a landmark state visit to the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country.

In a speech to hundreds of people at the legislature in the capital Jakarta, he called for an intensified fight against terrorism. 

“The challenge we, especially Muslims, face now is terrorism,” he said. “We should close ranks in combating terrorism, radicalism and strive to bring world peace for the benefit of all of us.”

Saudi Arabia is part of a US-led coalition that has carried out air strikes against the Islamic State (IS) group and other jihadists in Syria. 

On Thursday Salman also visited Jakarta’s Istiqlal mosque, the biggest in Southeast Asia, accompanied by President Joko Widodo, and the leaders prayed together.

The king and his entourage will be in Jakarta until Friday, after which they will head to the Hindu-majority resort island of Bali for a holiday.

Salman’s three-week Asian tour is seeking investment opportunities as the world’s top oil exporter looks to diversify its economy. He began the trip in Malaysia earlier this week and is also set to visit Japan, China and the Maldives.