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Al-Ahram Weekly 13 - 19 May 1999 Issue No. 429 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 13 - 19 May 1999 Issue No. 429
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Books Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters 'There is no truce'
By Jailan Halawi
"There is no truce. Domestic stability is the fruit of the action of the security forces. There is no bargaining and no one can impose conditions on us; this is unacceptable," Interior Minister Habib El-Adli told a gathering of university graduates at a police club on Sunday.
He said his department acts to reintegrate jailed militants into society once they "repent" and are released. The policy "has had positive results inside and outside the country", he said. A number of the Islamist opponents of the Cairo government live abroad.
Authorities released nearly 1,000 Islamist militants on 26 April in the biggest conciliatory gesture since extremist violence erupted in 1992. El-Adli ordered the release of the prisoners, all members of the Al-Gama'a Al-Islamiya, the nation's largest underground Islamist group, after it renounced violence last month.
The Al-Gama'a, established in the 1970s, targeted policemen, Coptic Christians and foreign tourists as part of its campaign to overthrow the government and establish what it claims to be a purist Islamic state.
In July 1997, six imprisoned Al-Gama'a leaders issued a cease-fire call, but it took 20 months before the call was endorsed by the expatriate leadership.
"There was a split in the ranks of the Al-Gama'a: one group inside Egypt demanded an end to violence, but this was rejected by those living abroad, who wanted to ensure the continuation of the [material] support they gained in the countries where they found refuge," El-Adli said.
He criticised Britain for providing a safe haven for expatriate leaders, who issue anti-government statements through their London-based Islamic Observatory Centre.
El-Adli also criticised Britain for refusing to hand over militants whose extradition is sought by Egypt. "We have reached the point where those militants are acting against us, and issuing statements that attack both the president and the regime. Are they [Britain] waiting until we are assassinated?" he asked.
El-Adli praised those countries who have recognised the dangers of terrorism and who extradite wanted militants. He said that many Arab countries coordinate their extradition policies with Egypt. Cairo is still trying to persuade other countries, including Sudan, to cooperate, he added. "We should not forget the strategic importance of Sudan. The difference in views in some situations leads to problems, but I am sure they will be overcome," he said.
El-Adli disclosed that 19 militants had been killed in recent clashes with police forces, but he did not provide details. He said that a security commission made up of experts from five countries, including Britain, the United States and Italy, recently investigated the domestic security situation. "This was a confirmation of Egypt's stability," despite the Luxor massacre in which 58 tourists were killed in 1997, he said.
El-Adli also announced that an official probe into allegations of police brutality against Coptic Christians in the southern village of Al-Kosheh was being shelved because there was no evidence incriminating the accused officers.
The inquiry by the prosecutor's office "showed that one of the Coptic religious figures" -- whom he did not name -- "had incited witnesses to provide false testimony", he added.
Judicial sources said, according to a report by the district attorney general, that doctors had determined that some of the plaintiffs' injuries were the result of diseases, and not torture.
Allegations that four police officers had tortured a number of Copts while investigating a double murder in the village were given prominence in the foreign press in October. The four officers were later reassigned to administrative duties.
