Joint committee meets to follow up Arab anti-terrorism agreement

The joint ministerial committee assigned to follow up the implementation of the Arab anti-terrorism agreement will hold its first meeting in the Saudi port-city of Jeddah on August 1, a statement by the general secretariat of the Arab interior ministers council said on Monday.

Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, who is also head of the Arab interior ministers council, sent invitations to members of the joint committee which aims at finding and approving an agreeable mechanism to implement the agreement, the statement added.

The joint committee, an offshoot of the Arab interior and justice ministers councils, is also chaired by the Saudi minister.

The committee groups the interior ministers of Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Yemen, and the justice ministers of Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Syria.

The Arab anti-terrorism agreement was inked in April, 1998 and went into effect last May after seven Arab states lodged ratification documents at the Arab League general secretariat.

The number of Arab states that signed the agreement has risen to 10 at the end of last June, the statement concluded.