Abul Gheit: Cairo Won't Accept any Threat to its Security

Tuesday, 22 December 2009

Abul Gheit: Cairo Won't Accept any Threat to its Security

22/12/2009 Egypt said that no country should interfere in its decisions that aimed at protecting the security and safety of its territories, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said in reference to the news about Egypt's intention to construct a barrier on its borders with Gaza aiming at shutting down the extensive network of smuggling tunnels. In a special interview with Al Arabiya, Abul Gheit underlined that Cairo would never accept any kind of threat to its national security.

The top Egyptian diplomat said that his country has the right to make any kind of establishments on its territories or even fix eavesdropping equipment. "This is an issue of sovereignty," said Abul Gheit.

Palestinians regard the tunnels as the main source for bringing all kinds of goods and humanitarian needs since Israel sealed the territory off in June 2007.

In an earlier interview with the London-based Asharq Alawsat daily, the Egyptian Foreign Minister said that Egypt is totally free to do whatever it wants to guarantee its full security.

No Arab, whoever, has any right to tell Egypt what to do on its territories, "especially that Egypt was always ready to exert all the needed efforts to defend the Palestinian cause," he said. He underlined the importance of national security and "there shouldn't be any kind of violation to the Egyptian territories," he said.

International activists, meanwhile, vowed on Tuesday to go ahead with a planned 1,300-strong march next week to the Gaza Strip via Egypt despite a Cairo ban.

"Our efforts and plans will not be altered at this point. We have set out to break the siege of Gaza and to march in Gaza on Dec. 31 against the international blockade. We are continuing the journey," organizers of the Gaza Freedom March said on their website.

The Egyptian foreign ministry on Monday rejected a request by organizers to use the Rafah border crossing, the only entry into the Gaza Strip. "Although we consider this as a setback, it is something we’ve encountered and overcome before," the organizers said, noting that previous bans by Egypt were overturned after "public and political pressure."

Egypt warned Monday of legal repercussions for anyone defying the ban. "Egypt finds it difficult to cooperate with this march considering the sensitive situation in the Gaza Strip," which faces a stringent Israeli blockade, the foreign ministry said. It warned that "any attempts to violate the law or public order by any group whether local or foreign on Egyptian soil will be dealt with in conformity with the law."

Around 1,300 international delegates from 42 countries have signed up to join the Gaza Freedom March which was due to enter Gaza via Egypt during the last week of December.