Following is the text of the address of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman at the Arab Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh on Saturday:
I would like to send my deep thanks and appreciation to the people and government of Egypt under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi for hosting the 26th Arab Summit, and the good reception accorded to us.
I would also like to thank His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the emir of Kuwait, for the outstanding efforts he exerted during his chairmanship of the previous session.
I also thank His Excellency the secretary-general of the Arab League and its all staff for exerting good efforts in this regard.
Dear Brothers,
A few days ago, this city (Sharm El-Sheikh) hosted the international economic conference which embodied the support of the Arab and international community for Egypt, and today we gather here to explore finding ways out of the political and security crises facing many Arab countries, and to address the various challenges that confront us.
The painful situation experienced by a number of Arab countries, including terror, internal conflicts and bloodshed, is a natural product of alliance between terror and sectarianism led by regional forces whose flagrant interferences in the Arab region led to the destabilization of security in some countries.
In Yemen, the foreign interference enabled the Houthi militia, though they are a limited group, to orchestrate a coup against the legitimate authority, occupy Sanaa, and impede the implementation of the GCC initiative which was originally meant to safeguard the security, integrity and stability of Yemen. The GCC countries responded positively to a call by President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi for convening a conference in Riyadh under the umbrella of the GCC General Secretariat to find a peaceful solution to the crisis within the framework of the GCC initiative which enjoyed Arab and international acceptance.
Due to the aggression by the Houthi militia, supported by regional powers whose aim was to impose hegemony on Yemen and make it a base for influence in the region, and their intransigence and rejection of the warnings of legitimate Yemeni authorities, the GCC and the (UN) Security Council, the sisterly and friendly countries responded by launching “Operation Decisive Storm” to check the Houthi aggression which poses a major threat to the security and stability of the region, as well as to international peace and security.
Although we did not wish to resort to this decision, we would like to affirm that Riyadh is open to all Yemeni political factions desiring to maintain Yemen’s security and stability for a meeting under the umbrella of the GCC, in the context of adhering to legitimacy, and rejection of a coup against it, that will ensure the return of the state to a position where it can extend its authority over all Yemeni territories, return weapons it seized to the custody of the state, and abstain from threatening the security of neighboring countries.
We also hope that that those who revolted against the legitimate government would revert to the voice of reason, stop calling on foreign powers, and abstain from promoting sectarianism and sowing the seeds of terror. The Decisive Storm operation will continue until all objectives are realized whereby the Yemeni people will enjoy peace and stability.
In this context, I extend appreciation and thanks to the countries joining Operation Decisive Storm and other supportive countries from all parts of the world which contribute to boosting peace and security of the region, and the world at large.
Palestinian cause
The Palestinian cause comes at the forefront of our concern and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia remains committed to fundamentals and principles aimed at achieving a just and comprehensive peace in the region based on achieving the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to establish their independent state with their capital in Al-Quds which is consistent with the resolutions of international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002, a matter that was welcomed by the international community and ignored by Israel.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia believes that time has come for the international community to bear its responsibility through the issuance of a decision by the Security Council to adopt the Arab Peace Initiative and throw its weight behind it together with the appointment of an international envoy entrusted to follow the implementation of the international resolution related to the initiative.
Extremism and terror
The scourge of extremism and terror comes at the top of challenges facing the Arab nation, which targets the security and stability of our countries and necessitates us to exercise utmost caution, vigilance and solidarity to deter and eradicate its roots.
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