Jordan renews call for unified fight against terror in Madrid

AMMAN — Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Wednesday highlighted the importance of defeating terrorism at the military, security and ideological levels, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

He made the remarks in his opening speech at the International Conference on Victims of Ethnic and Religious Violence in the Middle East held in Madrid, co-chaired by Jordan and Spain. Safadi said that terrorism is a shared enemy that targets anyone who does not agree with its agenda, stressing that terrorists do not heed any religion or race. 

The foreign minister warned against falling into the terrorists' trap that aims to divide the world and make it look like the war is fought between the West and Islam or between the majority and minorities. 

Speaking to foreign ministers and representatives from about 75 countries and international organisations, Safadi said the only minority out there is the one of terrorists, while the majority is the civilised world of humanity and values, adding that Daesh cannot destroy this diversity. 

Daesh's plans will fail to break values of love, peace and respect "embodied in Islam" and rooted in the Arab and Islamic cultures, the minister said, adding that terrorists' goal is to cause division in countries and societies through spreading chaos, waging wars and living off the results of such a situation. 

Defeating terrorism requires debunking its narrative and resolving conflicts that created environments of despair and injustice, which only fed terrorism. Therefore, it is necessary to reach a complete cease of gunfire on all Syrian lands through a political solution based on the Geneva I outcomes and UN Security Council Resolution 2254, Safadi said. 

Jordan supports Iraq in its war against terrorism and appreciates the victories the Iraqi army has achieved in the fight against Daesh, he said, noting that the Kingdom strongly supports a national reconciliation process in the eastern neighbour that would secure the rights of all Iraqis.

To achieve security and stability in the Middle East and win the war against extremism and terrorism, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict should be resolved based on a two-state solution which establishes an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 lines, and ensures Israelis security.

Comprehensive peace is a strategic option for Arabs, as they reaffirmed during the Arab summit recently held in Amman, during which Arab leaders relaunched the 15-year-old Arab Peace Initiative, Safadi noted, urging the international community to ensure conducive political, economic and social horizons that do not have environments of injustice used by terrorists to promote their darkness and nihilism. 

At a joint press conference with Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Alfonso Dastis, Safadi said the Madrid conference’s message is that the international community should stand united against terrorists, reject their narratives and work to defeat them. 

He outlined the Kingdom’s efforts to achieve peace and stability, and discussed bilateral cooperation and regional developments.