Morocco plays crucial role in fight against terrorism

New York, Sep 21: Morocco, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, plays an extremely important role in the global fight against terrorism, Director of the UN Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force and the UN Counter-Terrorism Centre Jehangir Khan has said.

"Morocco's co-presidency of the Global Counter-terrorism Forum (GCTF) shows the Kingdom's firm commitment to strengthening international cooperation, not only through the GCTF but also at the United Nations level," Khan told reporters on the occasion of the GCTF's 8th ministerial meeting in New York on Wednesday.

"We believe at the UN level that Morocco's role alongside the other member states is fundamental to strengthen mutual cooperation in order to fight the growing threat posed by terrorism," he added.

The UN official welcomed "the vision and leadership of the King" and said that he expects Morocco to continue to support the UN.

Commenting on actions made by the GCTF, which is co-chaired by Morocco and the Netherlands, Khan said that the forum launched several major initiatives this year.

Morocco and the Netherlands were re-selected to assume the presidency of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) for another two-year mandate.

Among the decisions taken during this meeting is the launch of a series of initiatives under the GCTF, including the initiative related to handling local violent extremists, run jointly by Morocco and the US.