RIYADH — Representatives of 14 Arab countries have submitted the draft executive plan for the Arab Counter-Terrorism Strategy as developed by the Council of Arab Interior Ministers for consideration.

This came during the seventh two-day meeting of the Arab high committee to prepare the draft, hosted by the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences at its headquarters in Riyadh.

The meeting, organized by the Arab Office of Counter-Extremism and Terrorism (Riyadh) and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, was chaired by representative of Oman Lt. Col. Mohammed Bin Salem Al-Shanfari, and attended by delegations from Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania, Yemen and a representative of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

The meeting aimed at reviewing the components of the executive plan, its means of implementation and the accompanying programs and activities with international partners, as well as the mechanisms for measuring, monitoring and evaluating the plan.

Undersecretary of Naif Arab University for Security Sciences for Foreign Relations Khalid Al-Harfash stressed that terrorism tops issues that the university is keen to address with well-studied scientific methods through its scientific programs and activities, given the threats of such crimes and their impacts on international security and stability.

He noted that the university has adopted a plan to implement the scientific program for stage plans to execute the Arab counter-terrorism strategy that the Arab Interior Ministers Council endorsed in its 14th session.

Al-Harfash said that the university, in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), has recently inaugurated a specialized center that aims to be a regional center of expertise in combating crime, including terrorism and organized and transnational crimes.

He expressed hope that the recommendations and resolutions adopted by the representatives of the Arab countries would achieve the goals and objectives of Arab ministers of interior, and contribute to boosting the endeavors of Arab international action in the field of counter-terrorism. — SPA