Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir has said his country was working with the United States and Europe to prevent the expansion of ISIS from Libya towards Sahel countries, within the framework of fighting terrorism in the region. Jubeir made his remarks on Thursday in Brussels, following a meeting with EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini to discuss regional developments and preparations for an international conference on Friday to support the G5 Sahel Force. The Saudi foreign minister held separate talks with the European Peoples Party member Rachida Dati and Michele Alliot-Marie, chairperson of the Committee on Relations with the Arab Peninsula in the European Parliament. Addressing the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee, Jubeir called on the international community to put more pressure on the Syrian regime to engage seriously in the peace negotiations. He also touched on the relations with Iran, expressing Saudi Arabia’s conviction that the nuclear agreement between the international community and Tehran “is not enough to modify [Tehran’s] behavior.” He stressed in this regard the need to prevent Iran from intervening in other countries’ internal affairs. Jubeir accused Iran of supporting terrorism and deploying its control in countries such as Iraq and Syria, as well as providing Houthi rebels in Yemen with ballistic missiles, which were used to target Saudi Arabia. On the relations with Qatar, the foreign minister said: “Our policy towards Qatar is very simple. We say no to terrorism, no to terror financing, no to spreading hate and extremism and no to interfering in the affairs of other countries.” The European Union will announce 50 million euros ($61 million) for the G5 Sahel force at talks with heads of state from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, adding to around 280 million euros already pledged by international donors, AFP reported. The conference aims to secure more international funding for the force. Donations so far have been led by Saudi Arabia, which has given 100 million euros. In addition to 26 EU leaders and the United Nations, around a dozen other countries will be represented by foreign ministers including Saudi Arabia, Norway, Morocco and Tunisia.
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