‘Cultural cleansing’ used as tool by terrorists — Judeh

AMMAN — Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting in New York on a global initiative to protect cultural heritage alongside his Italian counterpart Paolo Gentiloni, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The  meeting, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s 71st sessions, aimed to present the results of the initiative to gather the efforts of the international community and the UN to tackle increasing threats to cultural heritage around the world, especially in the Middle East. 

Addressing delegates, Judeh, who is also deputy prime minister, said that the destruction of culture had become a tool and a strategy for terrorists to undermine societies and spread extremism, adding that it was a form of “cultural cleansing” which he described as a war crime.

He stressed that culture should be protected with the same intensity that human lives are protected, highlighting Jordan’s support for UN Resolution 2199, which condemns the destruction of cultural heritage and adopts legal measures to combat the illegal trade of artefacts and cultural heritage from Iraq and Syria.  

Judeh also participated in the activities of the ninth annual Trygve Lie Symposium held on the sidelines of the General Assembly meetings, during which a set of recommendations by various countries, including Jordan, were presented to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

In a speech, Judeh said the next secretary general of the UN should take a proactive role in resolving long-running conflicts, especially the Palestinian plight, which he said was a pivotal cause for the region. 

He added that the next UN chief should continue efforts to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis. 

In New York, Judeh also took part in a ministerial meeting on involving young people in combating extremism, which was organised by Jordan, Belgium and the EU.  

The foreign minister highlighted that the Kingdom had also suffered from terrorist attacks that targeted innocent officers in the army and police. 

Acknowledging the psychological, social, political, economic, educational and ideological causes behind extremism is the key to understanding and defeating it in the long-term, he said. 

Jordan welcomes the formation of a team of experts to study the progress made in the fields of youth and safety, based on UN Resolution 2250, Judeh noted, adding that the Kingdom looks forward to the recommendations of a study due to be presented to the UN Security Council in December 2017. 

Also on Thursday, Judeh took part in the second meeting in New York of the International Syria Support Group at the invitation of US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. 

The meeting aimed at resuming international efforts to implement the ceasefire in Syria and relaunch negotiations towards a political solution in accordance with the Geneva I resolutions.

Judeh also took part in the annual coordination meeting for foreign ministers from member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, which was held recently in New York, Petra reported. 

Judeh called on Muslim countries to unite against the present challenges and to combat terrorism at the meeting, which covered developments in the region.