HM the King participates in Arab Summit opening

Sharm El-Sheikh, Mar. 28. (BNA) – His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has participated, alongside Arab leaders, in the 26th Arab Summit, opened today at the International Congress Centre here. Ahead of the opening session, HM the King greeted the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who welcomed him and thanked him for accepting his invitation to participate in the Summit. HM King Hamad delivered a keynote speech, in which he expressed pleasure at participating in the 26th Arab Summit. HM the King congratulated President Al-Sisi on hosting and presiding over the new session of the Arab Summit, and praised the pioneering role played by brotherly Egypt throughout history to defence Arab issues and interests. HM King Hamad extended sincere thanks, appreciation and gratitude to the Kuwaiti Amir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah for the outstanding efforts he had exerted as he presided over the previous session, noting that his innumerable initiatives to bring Arabs together and cement cohesion and solidarity among them had yielded fruitful and tangible results. HM the King paid similar tribute to the Secretary-General of the Arab League Dr. Nabil Al-Araby for following up on Arab issues and submitting constructive proposals aiming to enhance joint Arab action, lauding, in particular, his crucial role in taking the necessary steps to establish the Arab Court for Human Rights. Praising the Arab Summit, HM the King said the meeting reflects Arab unity, and conveys a message to the world that Arab countries adopt unified stances, discuss and exchange views on their issues frankly, take their decisions wisely and carefully, and are keen to implement them transparently and sincerely, out of their national duty to deal with all serious challenges the Arab Nation is facing during this critical phase of its history. HM the King said that among the challenges currently faced by the Arab Nation is the deepening situation in brotherly Yemen and the rapid developments which had taken place there in a way that put the Arab national security at risk. HM the King said the Kingdom, alongside other brotherly Arab countries, responded to the call of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to meet the request of the Yemeni President Abd Rabbou Mansour Hadi for an immediate military intervention to restore security, stability and legitimacy in Yemen. HM King Hamad said the military operation in Yemen, which has been widely supported at the international level, was a necessary move required by the Arab League Charter and the Joint Arab Defence Pact. It was also aimed to re-affirm Arab solidarity with Yemen and its legitimate leadership, and keenness to maintain its sovereignty, independence, unity of its people and territorial integrity and protect its regional surrounding in Bab El-Mandeb Straits and the Arabian Sea, out of commitment to safeguard global security and peace and ensure security of marine navigation, and international trade, HM the King said. "Such a step was taken only after all means and regional and international efforts to contain the crisis, most notably the GCC Initiative and its executive mechanisms, approved by all Yemenis, had been exhausted," HM King Hamad explained. "Out of our keenness on safeguarding comprehensive regional security and stability, we affirm the importance of this Summit's approval of the principle of establishing a Joint Arab Military Force, within Arab and international convention, whose responsibility would be the rapid military intervention to repulse any aggression that would threaten the security, stability and sovereignty of any of the Arab countries," he also said. In a related context, HM the King reiterated the kingdom's rejection of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the region, stressing the importance of declaring the Middle East a WMD-free zone, combating intellectual extremism, sectarian radicalism and spread of all forms of abhorrent terrorism as the best means to promote regional security and stability. HM King Hamad reiterated Bahrain's principled and firm stances in support of the brotherly Palestinians, and their inalienable rights to set their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with all the resolutions of the International Legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative, calling for the need stop settlements and lift the unjust embargo on the Gaza Strip. HM the King also affirmed the UAE's right to regain sovereignty over its three islands, which are occupied by Iran, through negotiation or resorting to the International Court of Justice. HM King Hamad also supported the rights of the Syrian, Iraqi and Libyan peoples to preserve the sovereignty of their countries and build their political systems freely and independently, without any interference from any foreign sides. HM the King urged all Arabs to enhance their unity in order to address the serious challenges facing them collectively.