RIYADH — Secretary-General of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Dr. Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf has expressed his condemnation of the terrorist attacks carried out by the Houthi militia, with armed robbery and piracy on the cargo ship Rawabi, which carries the UAE flag.

He affirmed the stance of GCC states in supporting the UAE in all the measures it will take against this brutal attack, which calls for endangering the safety and security of international maritime transport, and rejection of any impediment to the movement of ships and tankers.

He added that the attack is a flagrant violation of the principles of international humanitarian law and the United Nations conventions on the sea, especially the Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982 and the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime of 2000.

He called on the international community to assume its responsibilities towards such criminal attacks to take firm stances towards the hostile practices of this terrorist militia.

Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti Cabinet expressed its condemnation and denunciation in the strongest terms of the Iran-backed terrorist militia's continued threat to the security of Saudi Arabia by targeting the southern region.

During its weekly meeting chaired by Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Prime Minister of Kuwait, the Council made it clear that the continuation of these aggressive practices and targeting civilians, civilian areas, the security of the Kingdom and the stability of the region constitutes a flagrant violation of the rules of international and humanitarian law, and requires the international community to move quickly and decisively to deter these threats, and hold the perpetrators accountable.

The Kuwaiti Cabinet also condemned the armed robbery of the UAE-flagged cargo ship Rawabi.

In Cairo, the Arab Parliament on Monday strongly denounced the terrorist Houthis' act of pirating of the Emirati-flagged ship while sailing off the shores of Al-Hudaydah, Yemen, during a voyage from Socotra Island to Jazan port. The ship was sailing back after completing its mission of delivering equipment needed to operate the Saudi field hospital on the island.

In a statement, the Arab Parliament warned against the dangerous step of the Houthi militia on the freedom of marine navigation and international trade through Bab Al-Mandab Strait and the southern Red Sea. It said the attack represents a blatant violation to international laws and norms, a dangerous development threatening the safety and security of marine navigation in such a vital area of the world, a threat to international economy and trade and a practical evidence of tampering with vital facilities and global transport routes, targeting of which is considered a war crime, necessitating an immediate and firm international position.

The parliament stressed that this terrorist Houthi militia has become a threat to regional security and that the militia wants to take control of the region by seizing internationally important sea routes. It said any complacency toward this matter will eventually lead to undermining the security and tranquility of the world at large.

The Arab Parliament also reiterated the importance of full commitment to all relevant international covenants and agreements, mainly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2000 United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. — SPA