10 Arab states agree on joining forces against IS

Jeddah, Sep 12 (IANS/WAM) Ten Arab countries, including six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states, and the US have agreed to combine forces to destroy the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group wherever they exist in Iraq and Syria.

A joint statement was issued after the meeting Thursday that was chaired by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal.

It brought together the foreign ministers of Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt, and Turkey with US Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary-General of the Arab League Nabil al-Arabi saying that the participants had discussed a broad strategy to destroy IS wherever it is, including in both Iraq and Syria.

Turkey did not join in the statement but said it will participate in the fight against the IS.

The statement affirmed that the 10 Arab states and the US shared a commitment to a unified stance against the danger of terrorism to the region and the whole world. The 11 countries agreed to do their share in the all-out war against the IS.

The joint statement also endorsed a broad strategy to curtail IS's financing and counter the ideology of extremism.

Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al Faisal, in a joint press conference with Kerry following the talks, said that regional countries were determined to confront the scourge of terrorism and that there was no disagreement about this between Turkey and any country participating country.

Al Faisal said the meeting in Jeddah provided a good opportunity to discuss the roots of terrorism in the region and to come up with a unified vision for combating it through military, security, economic, intelligence, political and intellectual ways.

--IANS/WAM

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