Politics of Inclusion, Dialogue Best Way towards Defeating Terrorism, Secretary-General Says in Message to Gulf Cooperation Council

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message to the thirty-fifth session of the Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council, as delivered by Nikolay Mladenov, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, in Doha today:

I send my best wishes to His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, and to all the participants in this meeting of the Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

This year’s meeting takes place against a background of many serious regional challenges.  Terrorist groups, including the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant or ISIL, the Al-Nusra Front and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, have caused widespread loss of life, human suffering and destruction.

I welcome steps by GCC countries to pursue a comprehensive approach to countering terrorism, including the conferences hosted by Kuwait and Bahrain on countering extremist messaging and terrorist finance.  The UN Counter-Terrorism Task Force and the UN Counter-Terrorism Centre are working with Member States to build capacities in this area.  I thank the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, for his generous contributions to support these efforts, and I urge other GCC members to follow his lead.

In Syria, terrorism is an obstacle to peace, and we must do everything possible to prevent further radicalization and more civilian deaths.  The implementation of the 2012 Geneva communiqué remains the UN reference point on Syria.  The proposed Aleppo freeze by UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura offers an opportunity to reduce the violence and the suffering of the Syrian people, while efforts to reach a political settlement continue.

In Iraq, an inclusive Government has been formed that is working with the international community to counter the threat of ISIL.

The UN Special Representative, Nickolay Mladenov, is working closely with the Government to reach out to all communities, assist in political dialogue and support national reconciliation.  I urge you to support his efforts.

I thank GCC members for their generous contributions to the UN’s humanitarian response in Syria and Iraq.  With winter setting in, an estimated 2.1 million displaced Iraqis are in need of urgent food, shelter and fuel.  I count on your continued support for humanitarian operations in Iraq and Syria, and for Syrian refugees.

In Yemen, close cooperation between the GCC and the UN has played a significant role in helping the transition process move forward, but it is under severe strain.  My Special Adviser on Yemen, Jamal Benomar, working closely with the GCC and its members, has therefore made it a top priority to get all sides to implement the Peace and National Partnership Agreement without further delay, including its security and disarmament provisions.  In the interest of peace and stability in the region, we must do everything possible to assist President [Abdrabuh Mansour] Hadi [Mansour] and Prime Minister [Khaled Mahfoudh Abdullah] Bahah’s Government in moving Yemen towards a more peaceful, stable and prosperous future.

Ultimately, the best ways to defeat terrorism and conflict are dialogue, the politics of inclusion and respect for human rights.  Force may stop terrorists, but only good governance can prevent and stop terrorism.  In this spirit, the UN looks forward to continued strong cooperation with the GCC and all its Member States.