Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry told MPs on Wednesday that Egypt, which currently heads the UN Security Council’s Anti-Terrorism Committee, has provided the Security Council with all the information necessary to name countries that fund and support terrorist activities.
“I think there will be a good opportunity very soon to name these countries that fund terrorist activities,” Shoukry said in a statement delivered before parliament’s Arab Affairs Committee.
Shoukry’s comments come days after two suicide bombers attacked two churches in Tanta and Alexandria, killing 46 people and injuring dozens more.
Shoukry also told MPs that most information on the most active terrorist organisations in the world right now, like Daesh [the Islamic State group, show that they are Muslim Brotherhood offshoots.
“All of these terrorist organisations were formed on the basis of the Muslim Brotherhood’s jihadist and Takfiri ideological foundations, not to mention that most of its senior leaders were originally members of the Brotherhood,” said Shoukry.
Shoukry questioned how terrorist organisations like the Islamic State still have access to all the financial resources necessary to mount their terrorist attacks.
“It has become quite clear that this money is still being supplied through a network of certain countries to fund these terrorist organisations,” said Shoukry, adding: “these countries donate this money with the objective of using these terrorist organisations to achieve political goals in the Middle East and the Arab world.”
“I also wonder how the world’s major intelligence apparatuses have so far not been able to publicly name the countries that fund terrorist organisations,” said Shoukry,
“In most battlegrounds against terrorist organisations, the world saw how these groups were able to get access to sophisticated weapons, explosives and up-to-date trucks that help them launch their attacks.”
After the suicide attacks hit the two churches in Egypt on 9 April, many MPs accused Qatar and Turkey of funding terrorist operations in Egypt.
MP Mostafa El-Guindi said “it is no secret that Turkey, Qatar and Muslim Brotherhood leaders living in these two countries are directing billions in cash to the North Sinai-based Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis group, which has declared allegiance to the Islamic State and claimed responsibility for the attacks on Coptic churches in Tanta and Alexandria on Sunday.”
“When will Egypt name these two countries as the largest sponsors of terrorist activities in countries like Egypt, Libya and Syria?” El-Guindi asked.
In a short address to parliament on Tuesday, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail told MPs that the latest attacks have made it clear that extremist militants still have access to billions of pounds to fund their operations in Egypt and other countries.
FM Soukry also answered questions on Egypt’s relations with Sudan and its role in solving the crises in Libya and Syria.
Shoukry said that after seven years of civil war in these countries, all should be aware of the risk of supporting political Islam.
“Those who supported political Islamist movements to take power should now see how these movements have disrupted these countries and spread chaos everywhere,” said Shoukry.
Shoukry also praised a recent summit meeting between President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Saudi King Salman in Amman, Jordan.
“The meeting showed that relations between Egypt and Saudi Arabia are very strong and that the two leaders have a strong wish to keep these historical relations intact,” said Shoukry.
Source: Ahram online
