Bahraini FM urges ideological solutions, dialogue to combat terrorism

Foreign Affairs Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa has affirmed the importance of developing a comprehensive strategy to eliminate the Islamic State (Daesh), stressing that combating terrorism should not be restricted to military strikes.
He pointed out that dealing with the danger of Daesh should be in various forms, including ideological solutions to prevent the recruitment of new militants and dry up financing sources.
He was speaking during a symposium held by Sky News Arabia the "the future of the Middle East after the conflicts", on the sidelines of the tenth "Manama Dialogue".
Shaikh Khalid said that the "strikes of the International Coalition and the operations of the Iraqi Army had stopped the advance of the terrorist organisation in Iraq, but that’s not enough to eradicate terrorism."
He called for the need to adopt "ideological solutions" in order to prevent the recruitment of new militants to Daesh, and step up efforts to stop the financing of terrorist organisations.
He called upon all countries to join ranks to combat terrorist organisations, expressing hope that differences and disputes among neighbouring countries should be resolved through dialogue, and that the agreements reached should be implemented on the ground.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri affirmed that eradicating the "Daesh doctrine" or thought would take time, and stressed that fighting the organisation’s ideology should be carried out through a counter ideology, highlighting his country’s policies in this regard, reflected in the conference hosted by Al-Azhar recently.
Iraqi Finance Minister Hoshyar Zibari said that the International Coalition had played a major role in impeding Daesh advance, noting that the terrorist organisation had suffered great losses.
He asserted that national reconciliation in Iraq and unity among all tribes were the best means to fighting Daesh there.
Former Iran's National Security Council member Seyed Hossein Mousavian highlighted the importance of cooperation among Iran, GCC states, Egypt and Turkey in setting up a regional coalition to eliminate Daesh.