Addressing the root causes of terrorism requires a multi-dimension plan of action, said Saturday Foreign Minister of Bahrain Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.
"We need to approach the ideological problem in three ways. The first is De radicalization: There is never an excuse to allow radical and violent ideas to proliferate; we need to counter radicalization at every turn. The second is to combat the sectarian division in the Middle East," Al-Khalifa said in his address at second day of the 10th IISS Manama Dialogue for regional security.
"The third is education. We have to make sure that our education system is free of ideas that may promote intolerance towards other sects and religious groups. We need an education system that promotes critical thinking and true Islamic values." The Bahraini Minister stated that terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) are not the only terrorist threat the world faces.
"State sponsored terrorism is also a problem. The prime example of this is Hezbollah, a terrorist organization that receives significant state backing and has recently expanded into Syria; another example is the creation of what amounts to a parallel standing army to that of the Syrian regime by Iran," he said.
"We must not also forget that states themselves may directly be involved in terrorist activities. We see this most clearly with the terrible barrel bombing that has resulted in the deaths of literally hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians.
On the Gulf Cooperation Council-Iran relations, the Minister said that differences between the GCC and Iran remain, and they are not limited to the nuclear file. "We continue to have serious differences regarding Iran's blatant interference in the domestic affairs of regional states. We continue to hear statements emanating from Iran claiming to have taken control of this capital or another, or claiming to revive the revolution in one country or another.
"A regional security architecture that includes all regional states will never succeed as long as Iran remains on its current path.
Sheikh Khalid questioned Tehran's seriousness in cooperation with the world to fight terrorist groups.
"Why should it be inconceivable that all regional countries including Iran cooperate to ensure the common benefit of all? "In fact, this ought to be the long-term goal of every regional country however serious the current disagreements are. I have always said that it is a pity that there are not Iranian ships along with Bahraini, Saudi, Emirati British, American and international coalition partner ships in the gulf aiding the rest of its neighbors and the international community in securing this strategic and vital waterway which benefits us all." Meanwhile, UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Philip Hammond said that the UK and GCC region are facing the same enemy.
"We face a common but shadowy enemy: extremists who seek to hijack Islam to impose their own perverted agenda by fear and by the sword; who reject all norms of civilized behavior; who challenge all structures of established order," he said at the same plenary session of the Manama Dialogue.
He expressed admiration of the regional countries contributions to the international coalition to fight ISIL.
"This year, the world has worked as one to take the fight to Daash (ISIL). Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar, amongst others in the region, have made telling contributions to the US-led military response to Daash (ISIL). The UAE has flown more sorties than any coalition member bar the US," he said. He stated that the coalition strikes have helped halt the ISIL advance.
"But to first push them back out of Iraq, and then defeat them completely, more is required.
He went on to say that the rebuilding of the local forces which can exploit on the ground the opportunities that air power can create and a political coalition to achieve three key objectives: First, Iraq and Syria need sustainable, legitimate and inclusive governments capable of providing their own security; secondly, building a culture of challenging and marginalizing extremism and thirdly, forging ahead with practical counter-terrorism measures.
Organized annually, the IISS Manama Dialogue provides a forum for the national security establishments of the participating states to exchange views on regional security challenges.
It is a unique forum in that it is made up of governmental delegations from over 20 countries, including not only the states of the region and the immediate neighborhood, but also the outside powers with security interests in the Gulf.