Arab League Council backs Egypt's anti-terrorism effort

The Arab League Council on Wednesday said it understood the recent Egyptian airstrike on ISIL targets in Libya to be an act of counter-terrorism in the wake of the execution of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians.
The council, which met on the permanent-delegate level to discuss the situations in Yemen, affirmed firm support to the Egyptian efforts to eradicate terrorism which poses a serious threat to the security of the Arab region.
The Council, affirming Egypt's right to self-defense, recommended closer coordination between the Egyptian Armed Forces and the legitimate authorities in Libya in the combat against terrorism.
It also urged the Arab countries and the international community at large to join forces in the fight against terrorism and dry out the sources of funding for terrorist organizations.
It renewed strong condemnation of "the barbaric and horrible" beheading of the 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians in Derna city, north Libya.
On Yemen, the permanent delegates reaffirmed commitment to the protection of Yemen's sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity, and opposition to all forms of foreign interferences in its domestic Affairs.
They called on the Yemeni political parties to resume the national dialogue and press ahead with the implementation of the GCC initiative for Yemen with a view to reaching a clear-cut mechanism for realizing the objectives of the agreement on peace and national partnership.
They also called on the League's Secretary General Dr. Nabil Al-Araby to continue his consultations with the Arab foreign ministers and convene a ministerial meeting as early as possible in order to decide the appropriate responses to the developments in Yemen.