Context for combating terrorism disputed at Interpol conference

The attitudes of the delegates participating in the Interpol conference which is to end today have varied on the proper context for combating terrorism.

After long discussions, the participants in the conference voted on an Egyptian report tackling this subject, as 109 of the delegation's members supported it while the rest of the 150 participating countries refrained from voting.

Informed sources said the Egyptian point of view -- upon which the majority of the members have agreed -- mainly depends on dealing with terrorism as a criminal offense and not a political crime and establishing guidelines for pursuing terrorists, arresting and handing them over according to previously adopted resolutions.

The delegates agreed upon a strategy for combating drugs, in addition to highlighting areas in drug-producing and -consuming countries in which the rate of addiction increases.

The delegates discussed the issue of child prostitution and use of Internet to promote it, and Britain reviewed its experience in this field.

Brigadier General Ibrahim Hammad, the head of Egyptian delegation, confirmed that all countries recognize the danger of terrorism and unanimously support the initiative President Mubarak launched in 1996, calling for an international conference on combating terrorism under the auspices of the UN.