Egypt exchanges information with Washington on ways of confronting terrorism

Egyptian Interior Minister Habib A1 Adli said that he did not agree with the statement that A1 Qaeda organization has ended.

The organization was huge. It included terrorist leadership from different nationalities, had financial potentialities, a network of international movements and it is spread in many world capitals. Hence, ending the organization needs some time. Clearing (Qaeda) pockets is a difficult mission, the Minister said.

In an interview with Makram Mohamed Ahmed, Editor-in-Chief of Cairo Arabic weekly "Al Mussawar" to be published in its issue of Friday, the Minister of Interior said that the American campaign and the international coalition dealt a strong blow to A1 Qaeda organization.

It broke the basic structure of the organization and ended Afghanistan's position as a refuge of Al Qaeda members who will no longer be able to operate.

But the Minister warned that some readerships of the organization remained outside control and remain to be dangerous. He counseled caution and alertness.

There was no specific information on the number of those killed among Al Qaeda leadership, the Minister said. But some of them have fallen.

Among Jamaa Islamia (Islamic group). They are Abu Hifs Al Masri (Mohamed Atef), Anwar Moustafa, Tarek Anwar and Nasr Hosni.

Several important persons have been detained and are prisoners among the accused.

According to available information, leading elements were arrested in current military optiontions. It is still early to unveil the names of those who died and those who were detained.

The Minister of Interior said the fate of Osama Bin Laden will be known someday because hiding him would be difficult.

If Bin Laden would manage to enter any country, this would be through illegal means if elements belonging to him would be given a hiding place any country this would be through opposition groups behind the back of the state, the Minister said.

The Interior Minister said Egypt suffered from terrorism and Egypt played an effective role in confronting it.

He referred to the call made by President Hosni Mubarak early, even before the September 11 events, to hold in international conference to draw attention to the danger of terrorism and the importance of confronting it and international cooperation to combat it.

The Minister revealed that Egypt has a network of relations with all world countries, including the United States, to confront terrorism.

"There is close cooperation with Washington and we helped to a great extent, particularly in the field of information," the Minister said.

A lot of new information was exchanged with the Americans, he added. The Minister of Interior said that Egypt has the potentials to maintain security in a good manner.

In the past there was a big terrorist concentration in Upper Egypt. In some cities, there was a terrorist organization which worked independently away from other organizations.

Security agencies continue to chase some of these elements up till now. In 1998, security agencies confronted 17 military leaderships and were able to reach other elements.

The Egyptian authorities broke the links between these organizations and shut off finance and struck at possibilities of self-finance.

In reply to a question, the Minister of Interior said that reports circulated by some American quarters that Egypt does not show enough enthusiasm to the war against terrorism are not true.

He pointed out that the American administration led by President Bush, and officials of American security agencies, appreciate the role of the Egyptian leadership, particularly the role of President Mubarak in dealing with this dangerous issue, They appreciate the role of Egypt and its leadership in helping with information.

The Minister of Interior said that the videotape recently shown of Bin Laden is a "clear and full evidence of condemnation and a clear admittance of Bin Laden's responsibility for the September 11 events in the United States.

The Minister said it was regrettable that Bin Laden and his group called themselves Muslims. They did harm to Islam and Muslims before the American people and world public opinion.

The Minister of Interior warned against widening the international campaign against terrorism beyond its goals. This would be dangerous as it might harm elements which are not connected with this issue and the campaign might take dangerous turns.

As a security expert, Interior Minister Habib Al Adli said that the United States would commit a grave mistake if it gave Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon a free hand to deal with the Palestinians in the way he is dealing with them now and transgress on their dignity, kill young Palestinians and close all doors in the face of a fair settlement. Such pressures would encourage the emergence of a new very dangerous generation of terrorists.

The Minister of Interior said the campaign waged by the Yemeni authorities against some Qaeda elements is an important part of the operation to confront terrorism. A large number of the elements present in Yemen were connected with Al Qaeda.

"Egypt has asked the Yemeni authorities to arrest some persons. A similar request was made to other countries such as Sudan but none of those wanted has been received so far, the Minister said.

There is close cooperation between Egypt and Saudi Arabia in confronting terrorism," the Minister said.