King Hamad attends friends of Libya conference in Paris

His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa today took part in the Friends of Libya Conference at the Élysée Palace. Other heads of states and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon attend the meeting in bid to mobilize international support to reconstruct Libya, led by the National Transitional Council. HM King Hamad addressed the conference, thanking President Sarkozy for his invitation. He also hailed President Sarkozy's keynote speech. "Your keynote speech laden with feelings of friendship reflect your personal traits and those of the French people", he said, paying tribute to France for its principled stance in support of the brotherly Libyan people and its pivotal role in promoting the foundations of security and stability in the world. He also hailed the high-level international participation, describing as reflecting the importance given by the international community to the situation and recent developments in Libya. He also reaffirmed Bahrain's firm stance in support of the Libyan people, through its active role as member of the international Contact Group. "We are delighted to say that my country has honoured its commitment its commitment to support the brotherly Libyan people towards achieving the noble goals-consolidating basic liberties, anchoring the pillars of human rights, expanding the scope of political participation and speeding up the development and construction process", he said. HM describing the dramatic developments in Libya as "historic moments". "We have lived these historic moments instant by instant with our brethren Libyans", he said, paying tribute to the crucial role of the National Transitional Council, headed by Mustafa Abduljalil, wishing them success in their efforts. He also voiced his full solidarity with the National Transitional Council and backing for the mechanism outlined by the UN Secretary-General. "Our stance stems from Bahrain's commitment to Libya's independence, territorial integrity, regional security in addition to ensuring the security of its people so that it could assume its role as an active member of the international community and its Arab and regional environment", he said. HM King Hamad gave assurances about the massive Libyan investments in the Kingdom of Bahrain. "Bahrain is dealing with these massive investments in line with the UN Security Council Resolutions in this regard", he said. He also stressed Bahrain's firm resolve, being a GCC integral member, to protect people's achievements, citing its drive to preserve sustained development, protect security and stability and address the requirements of strategic changes and upheavals in the region. "Although our region has gone through destructive wars of the last three decades it succeeded in confronting challenges and crises thanks to the cohesion bonding the GCC member states", he said, stressing the importance of strategic relations and alliances with the international community and global superpowers with vested vital interests in the region. HM the King expressed his deep appreciation for the stances of these global powers to preserve the security of the region and the vital interests of its peoples. "Our GCC landmark achievements prove our strong bonds with the free world and commitment to honour our duties towards the international community", he said.