ALGERIA-ARAB INTERIOR MINISTERS Regional security tops Arab interior ministers' meeting

Record ID: 394161

  • Title: ALGERIA-ARAB INTERIOR MINISTERS Regional security tops Arab interior ministers' meeting
  • Date: 12th March 2015
  • Summary: ALGIERS, ALGERIA (MARCH 11, 2015) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** SAUDI INTERIOR MINISTER PRINCE MOHAMMED BIN NAYEF ARRIVING IN PALACE NATIONS EGYPTIAN INTERIOR MINISTER MAGDI ABDEL GHAFFAR WALKING GROUP PHOTO OF ARAB INTERIOR MINISTERS VARIOUS OF MEETING ALGERIAN INTERIOR MINISTER TAYEB BELAIZ (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ALGERIAN INTERIOR MINISTER, TAYEB BELAI
  • Embargoed: 27th March 2015 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Algeria
  • Country: Algeria
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA2NERPMLNASBSW97J0FIYNA4TA
  • Story Text: The threat posed by Islamic State militants and other extremist groups was the main topic at a meeting of Arab interior ministers in Algiers on Wednesday (March 11).
    The meeting, attended by ministers from around the region including Saudi Arabia and Egypt, in a group also known as the Council of Arab Interior Ministers, sought to discuss steps to address the many security issues faced by member countries.
    The Middle East is facing one of its most challenging periods in history, with the rise of ultra-radical Islamic State, which aims to establish a caliphate. It now rules a self-declared cross-border caliphate in Sunni regions of Syria and Iraq.
    Militants loyal to Islamic State have also been exploiting the chaos in Libya where two governments allied to armed factions are vying for power, four years after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi.
    Groups of Islamist militants, who have declared loyalty to Islamic State over the last six months, have claimed responsibility for several high-profile attacks in what appears to be an intensifying campaign.
    "The convening of our Council under the patronage of His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelaziz Bouteflika, shows the attention that His Excellency pays to this session in view of the topics that will be discussed and the important, sensitive and crucial security issues, on the way to establishing security and stability in the Arab world," host Algerian interior minister Tayeb Belaiz said during the opening session.
    Last year's meeting in Morocco focused on the fight against terrorism and organised crime, specifically drug trafficking.
    But this year's summit was more focused on strategies to enhance cross-border cooperation in the wake of the growing security threat.
    "Our meeting comes today amid the successive developments and challenges that face the Arab nation, after the transformations that have taken place within the movements and activities of terrorist organisations and their relationships with criminal organisations. The fight against these organisations has changed from a security challenge aimed at dismantling them, trying to change the mentality of their members, cutting off their funding, preventing safe havens for them, into war," said Egypt's interior minister Magdi Abdel Ghaffar.
    Egyptian jets bombed Islamic State targets in Libya last month, a day after the group there released a video showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians, drawing Cairo directly into the conflict across its border.
    The Algiers meeting will end on Thursday (March 12), when a communique is expected to be announced.
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