Manama: Saudi Arabia attaches great importance to fighting terrorism as it has been among the first to suffer from it, Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Nayef Bin Abdul Aziz has said.

The Saudi kingdom has thwarted 268 terrorist operations, including some that targeted other countries. The kingdom has been targeted since 1992 by more than 100 terrorist operations, including 18 carried out by elements with links to regional countries, the Crown Prince said as he delivered his country’s address to the 71st session of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

Prince Mohammad who is also his country’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior said that the kingdom managed to conclude numerous agreements with Arab countries to combat terrorism well before September 11 bombings and has since been in a relentless war against terror groups.

He added that Saudi Arabia has issued a package of regulations and measures to criminalise terrorism and its finance and joined more than 12 international agreements. It has in partnership with the US and Italy chaired a task group of the alliance for combating the finances of Daesh.

Milestone actions taken to correct the deviated thought were to establish the Mohammad Bin Nayef Centre for Advice and Care and the fatwa (edict) by the Senior Scholars Commission against terrorism and banning financing it or joining terror groups.

He said the fight against terrorism is a shared international responsibility that requires concerted efforts at all levels to confront it militarily and intellectually, financially, in the media. This requires cooperation in accordance with the rules of international law and the principles upon which the United Nations was founded, and in particular the principle of sovereign equality.

Saudi Arabia hails the role of the Riyadh-based Islamic military alliance to fight terrorism, which was established by 40 Islamic countries.

The crown prince emphasised the need for the Middle East to be a zone free of nuclear weapons and of all weapons of mass destruction as well as the importance of setting a date for convening the international conference on the establishment of a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East.

Prince Mohammad added that Saudi Arabia was committed to promoting, protecting and ensuring human rights according to the principles of Sharia and that the kingdom rejected exploiting freedom of expression to insult and defame religions.

The crown prince said the Kingdom will spare no effort in working with the international community in order to achieve welfare for mankind, pledging that it will continue to perform its humanitarian, political and economic role.

Prince Mohammad said the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the general consulate in Mashhad were stormed and attacked under the eyes of the Iranian authorities that did not provide the necessary protection as required by the international agreements.

“We call on the Iranian authorities to assume their responsibilities and honour the provisions of the international laws, and we look forward to relations between Iran and the countries in the region based on the principles of good neighbourliness, non-interference in the domestic affairs and an end to the occupation of the three UAE islands,” he said.

Regarding the situation in Yemen, he said the coalition supported legitimacy in the country.

“We would like to emphasise that the kingdom fully supports the efforts of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General to reach a political solution, as he submitted a balanced proposal in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2216, the Gulf Initiative and the outcomes of the national dialogue conference,” he said. “This proposal is accepted by the legitimate government of Yemen and rejected by the coup leaders who still kill, besiege the Yemeni people and attack the borders of the kingdom and its cities and villages with ballistic missiles, causing the killing and wounding of civilians.”

Prince Mohammad said Saudi Arabia was the largest supporter of humanitarian operations in Yemen.

In general, the kingdom’s humanitarian and development assistance to 95 countries constituted nearly 2 per cent of its income. Attention to humanitarian action has resulted in the establishment of the Riyadh-based King Salman Humanitarian and Relief Works Centre.

Regarding the situation in Syria, he said that the hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries and the high number of refugees required from the international community a prompt end to the terrible tragedy, unprecedented in modern history.

It is time to find a political solution to the crisis through securing the unity of Syria and maintaining its institutions through implementation of the decisions of Geneva 1, he added

Saudi Arabia has provided shelters for hundreds of thousands of Syrian people since the beginning of the crisis.

The kingdom did not deal with them as refugees in camps, but rather from moral, fraternal and humanitarian perspectives in order to preserve their dignity and integrity, he said, adding that the kingdom provided them with all necessary facilities, free health care, and access to the labour market and education.

He said Saudi Arabia supported efforts to introduce the necessary reforms in the United Nations, expressing confidence the international organisation will be able to respond effectively to the challenges of tomorrow and for future generations to enjoy security, stability and prosperity.