24 - 30 January 2002
Issue No.570
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 24 - 30 January 2002 Issue No.570 |
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Winning the fight
Addressing a gathering of state officials and police officers commemorating Police Day's Golden Jubilee on Sunday, President Hosni Mubarak said that Egypt is successfully winning its domestic fight against terrorism, reports Jailan HalawiAt the Police Academy in Abbasiya, Mubarak praised the performance of the country's security forces in combating terrorism and other crimes. "The police forces have boosted the nation's efforts on the path to economic reform by providing the security and stability that are the cornerstone of attracting foreign investment," Mubarak said.
Noting that national security and stability are the preconditions for the prosperity of any nation, Mubarak said that Egypt's success in increasing its rate of investment and development "is due to its success in preserving security and stability." Mubarak credited "an alert national police force," as the driving force of this stability, adding that Egypt's police forces are "committed to the provisions of law and the supreme interests of the homeland."
Mubarak pointed to the many years that police have been fighting a harsh battle against terrorists, saying that they have worked tirelessly to "smash their organisations, arrest most of their leaders, dry up their financial resources and cut off communication links with [terrorist] groups abroad." Celebrating Police Day's 50th anniversary, he said, "marks a renewal of the nation's confidence in the sincere commitment of the police forces to ensure stability for citizens -- no matter what the sacrifices may be."
The president acknowledged that the police have been aided in their "great success" by their partnership with the Egyptian people, saying that the fight against illegal groups that thrive on criminal activities is one that all Egyptians share.
Addressing the same ceremony, Interior Minister Habib El-Adli recalled the fateful stand taken by Egyptian police forces 50 years ago at the Ismailia barracks on 25 January. At that time, Fouad Serageddin Pasha, then minister of the interior, ordered his auxiliary troops in Ismailia to confront British occupation forces. In an event described by El-Adli as a symbol of the Egyptian spirit and heroism, the troops resisted a ban on all Egyptian forces from entering the Suez Canal zone, though they were armed with nothing but old rifles.
El-Adli pledged to continue police efforts in combating crime in all its forms, be it "terrorism, drug trafficking or thuggery," to ensure the security and stability of every Egyptian citizen.
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