A picture taken on Monday shows a view of the port of Fujairah. Karim Sahib / AFP

The Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit has condemned in the strongest terms the sabotage of four commercial vessels near the territorial waters of the UAE.

In a statement on Monday denouncing the incident, Aboul Gheit said that these criminal acts represent a serious violation of the freedom and safety of trade and maritime transport routes, and would raise the level of escalation in the region.

He also said that these threats to the land or sea borders, or the transport and trade routes of any member state of the Arab League, represent an unacceptable violation of Arab national security.

The Secretary-General expressed his full solidarity with the UAE against any attempt to undermine the security and safety of its navigation.

GCC

Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Secretary General of the GCC, has denounced the act of sabotage against four ships near UAE territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman, east of Fujairah.

Al Zayani described the act as a serious escalation which demonstrates evil intents by those who planned and carried it out, undermining the safety of maritime traffic in the region and threatening the safety and lives of those on board.

The GCC Secretary General called on the international community and international organisations concerned with maritime navigation to assume their political and legal responsibilities to prevent such acts by any parties attempting to undermine maritime traffic safety and security in this vital region.

"Such irresponsible acts will increase tension and conflicts in the region and expose its peoples to great danger," he added.

Arab Parliament

Dr. Mishaal Bin Fahm Al Salami, Speaker of the Arab Parliament, has condemned the act of sabotage yesterday against four ships near the UAE’s territorial waters, off the coast of Fujairah.

In a statement denouncing the incident, Al-Salami said, "The targeting of commercial ships is a terrorist act and a serious threat to international peace and security, which requires immediate and decisive action of the international community to secure international trade and shipping lines and to hold accountable the perpetrators of this cowardly act of sabotage."

He said that this "treacherous terrorist attack", targeting the ships and their crews, was a flagrant violation of international laws and norms, which provide for the freedom of navigation on international waterways, adding that it would also have a negative impact on the free movement of international trade.

Dr Al-Salami said that the Arab Parliament fully supported the United Arab Emirates in maintaining its security and stability and in all the measures it takes to protect its security and the safety of its citizens.

Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has expressed its condemnation of the acts of sabotage that targeted commercial and civilian vessels near the UAE territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman, off the coast of Fujairah.

The Saudi Press Agency, SPA, quoted an official source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia as saying that this criminal act poses a serious threat to the security and safety of maritime traffic, which reflects negatively on regional and international peace and security.

The source also expressed the solidarity of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its stand alongside the UAE in all measures taken to safeguard its security and interests.

Bahrain

Bahrain strongly condemned the acts of sabotage which targeted commercial and civilian vessels near the territorial waters of the United Arab Emirates in the Gulf of Oman, east of Fujairah.

In a statement carried by BAhrain News Agency (BNA) on Monday, the Bahraini Foreign Ministry denounced the criminal act which aimed at threatening the security and stability of marine navigation, affirming BAhrain’s solidarity with the United Arab Emirates in all the measures it takes to preserve its security and safeguard its interests.

It also urged the international community to assume its responsibility, guarantee the safety of marine navigation and confront all attempts to undermine international peace and security

Jordan

The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates on Monday strongly condemned the sabotage of four commercial ships near UAE territorial waters off the coast of Fujairah, according to the country’s news agency, Petra.

It quoted Sufian Al-Qudah, the Ministry’s Spokesman, as affirming the country’s rejection of any criminal act that threatens the security and safety of maritime traffic in the Arabian Gulf.

He also said that Jordan stands with the UAE in confronting any attempt aimed at destabilising its security and stability.

Kuwait

Kuwait on Monday voiced its "strong condemnation" of vandalism acts that targeted four ships near the UAE's territorial waters on Sunday.

A source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait branded the act as "criminal", adding that it is seen as an escalation in the region; jeopardising its safety, as well as the safety of maritime traffic and the overall world oil trade and energy supplies.

"Such an act must be internationally encountered in a swift manner in order to limit its reoccurrence," the source said in a statement which was quoted by the Kuwait's news agency, KUNA.

Kuwait reaffirms its supportive stance with the UAE to secure its stability and maintain its sovereignty, the statement concluded.

Lebanon

The Prime Minister of Lebanon, Saad Al Hariri, has condemned the sabotage attacks targeting four ships near the UAE's territorial waters.

According to Lebanon's National News Agency, NNA, Al Hariri said in a statement that the incident is considered as "a dangerous threat to the safety of navigation in one of the most important waterways in the world." He added that these actions threaten the stability of the world economy through the international oil markets, in addition to being a direct attack on Arab brotherly countries and on the joint Arab security.

"We emphasise our full solidarity with the United Arab Emirates and all brotherly countries in the Arabian Gulf," Al Hariri concluded.

WAM