In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Your Excellences,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am pleased to welcome you to the State of Qatar, and I am happy to participate in this opening session of this forum, I am equally pleased to thank the organizers of this important forum, as the subject of foreign fighters represents great importance for the entire world in the present time.
The vast participation in this forum, with the participation of more than 30 countries, reflects the international will and extent of interest in addressing this phenomenon. Terrorism in all its forms represents one of the dangers that threaten international peace and security. However, different parts of the world witness terrorist acts. There is no doubt that any terrorist act is a criminal act which can never be justified regardless of motivations or the identity of the perpetrators, including acts motivated by fanaticism, extremism, or otherwise. Terrorism cannot be confronted and eradicated unless the international community unites its efforts through a persevering and inclusive approach based on cooperation and participation among all states, and international and regional organizations, civil society organizations, academic and research entities to enhance the exchange of information in the field of security, and prevent terrorist threats as well as weaken, isolate, and paralyze them in the framework of international strategy for combatting terrorism, and the need for the international community to commit to international law, and to abandon the policy of double standards in the field of fighting terrorism. The reports of the United Nations state that the factors common to foreign fighters, whether from the Middle East, Asia, or Europe, are that they are mostly youth who lack the ideology of correct thinking, and they belong to oppressed or economically isolated communities. They further lack opportunities in terms of living and education, and have meagre employment chances. In this regard, terrorism can't and should not be linked to any religion, nationality, civilization, or ethnicity, and it is important not to confuse terrorism with legitimate resistance. We also stress the need to renounce recourse to state terrorism under the guise of combatting it.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The increasing use by terrorists and their supporters of communications technology to spread extremist ideology that leads to terrorism, and the recruitment and incitement of others to commit acts of terrorism, reflect the dire need to intensify cooperation among states to prevent terrorists from exploiting technology, communications, and resources to incite support for terrorist acts. In this context, it is imperative to resort to security and military operations and to undertake urgent law enforcement measures to counter the imminent threat posed by terrorist groups recruiting and transporting terrorist fighters across international borders. However, immediate and urgent alertness should not stand in the way of addressing the real causes and motives of terrorism.
Your Excellences,
Distinguished guests,
There is an agreement among the international community that foreign fighters pose a serious threat to their countries of origin, the states they transit, and the states to which they travel, as well as the states neighboring areas of armed conflict. I would like to point out, for example, that foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq, according to the United Nations' statistics, belong to more than 100 countries. Addressing the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters requires a comprehensive approach to the real causes of terrorism, particularly repressive and sectarian policies, marginalization and the absence of social justice suffered by large groups in some societies, and action to combat those who commit terror acts because of extremism and fanaticism, to prevent the spread of extremist thoughts and endeavor to rectify that, promote political and religious reconciliation and social development, pay due attention to youth, social cohesion and non-exclusion and end and settle armed conflicts, deprive terrorist groups of the ability to establish themselves, create safe havens and facilitate reintegration and rehabilitation .
In this regard, the success of any national strategy to rehabilitate terrorist fighters returning from the battlefield requires eradicating the environment that incubates extremist thinking, and building the nation’s ability to prevent terrorism and combat it, with full observance of the state’s obligations towards the rule of law and human rights. National legislation must be compatible with the state’s obligations at the international level, especially the relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular resolution 2178 of the year 2014, and resolution 2396 for the year 2017 related to the criminalization of acts committed by returning fighters, and laying down the legal basis for their prosecution, at a fair trial, and rehabilitating and integrating them into society.
There is no doubt that the process of rehabilitating returning fighters and integrating them into society requires a comprehensive approach that corrects misconceptions about violence, extremism, and terrorism, and addressing the political and social reasons, among others.
Your Excellences,
Ladies and gentlemen,
The issue of terrorism is a high priority for the State of Qatar, and the State of Qatar is considered an active partner in international cooperation in the fight against terrorism, and we are committed to addressing it at the national, regional, and international level through participating in all regional and international levels in this matter.
I would like to refer to the continuing development by the State of Qatar of its national legislation and institutional entities concerned with terrorism, the implementation of United Nations resolutions in this regard and the active partnership of the State of Qatar in the international alliance against terrorism. The State of Qatar will continue to carry out its role as an active partner in the international community in maintaining international security and peace, and combatting the phenomenon of terrorism. This includes violent extremism which is at the national level, and through bilateral and regional cooperation, as well as multilateral. In this framework, the State of Qatar provided humanitarian help, supported educational and economic initiatives, and built more resilient societies to combat terrorism. Furthermore, the State of Qatar supports the Education Above All initiative, which has worked to educate more than 10 million children all around the world. The initiative focuses on supporting children affected by conflicts and disasters. In order to encourage economic empowerment in the Middle East region and North Africa, the State of Qatar supports the Silatech institute, which has provided until now 1 million job opportunities for youth in 16 countries (since 2008) and strives to offer 2 million jobs by 2020.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am sure that you are aware of the legal, political, or social challenges facing the problem of foreign fighters, especially in the light of different legal systems giving definition for terrorism, while the international community is unable to agree on defining it, as well as the politicization of the term terrorism in many situations, and weak cooperation between countries for political reasons. As you have a rich and inclusive agenda for this forum, we look at the outcome of the discussions and deliberations with great interest. In conclusion, I hope that the works of this forum will be successful, and that it will achieve its objectives.
Peace be upon you, and Allah’s Mercy and His Blessings,,,