Indonesia, Egypt share intelligence in war on terror
Indonesia, Egypt share intelligence in war on terror
Agence France-Presse, Cairo
Presidents Megawati Soekarnoputri of Indonesia and Hosni
Mubarak of Egypt (photo above) discussed here Thursday how to
improve sharing intelligence in fighting terror, Mubarak advisor
Osama al-Baz said.
The two discussed cooperation in collecting, exchanging and
analyzing information "not only in Egypt and Indonesia but in
general -- the flow of terrorist groups, the flow of finances and
so on," Baz told a press conference after the talks.
"But Egypt and Indonesia are not countries that are in danger
at the moment," Baz said in response to a question from AFP about
intelligence cooperation.
"We suffered from this phenomenon in the past and we used to
fight it together," Baz said. "So we're discussing ways and means
for improving our ability and strengthening our hand in dealing
with this phenomenon at home and abroad."
When asked if the transfer of funds was among the topics
discussed on Thursday, Baz replied: "Yes, especially from those
people who are conducting the activities outside the two
countries."
Egypt, the most populous Arab country and a major U.S. ally,
fought a bloody campaign in the 1990s against Muslim groups, some
of whose leaders joined Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network in
Afghanistan.
Washington, meanwhile, is concerned that Indonesia, the
world's most populous Muslim nation, may become a hotbed for Al-
Qaeda sympathizers, and is working with Jakarta to boost anti-
terrorism cooperation.
Baz said Egypt's cooperation with other countries has "led to
arrests and most likely they have prevented attacks," but he
declined to disclose specific cases. "These countries would like
to protect their information."
Though extensive, Baz said, the talks on terrorism were not
the main topic between Mubarak and Megawati, who met for about
two and a half hours, including over lunch.
Megawati was also here to discuss the situation in the Middle
East as well as economic and commercial cooperation, Egyptian
officials said.
Besides Mubarak, Megawati was to meet Sheikh Mohammed Sayed
Tantawi, imam of al-Azhar, the highest authority in Sunni Islam,
during her three-day visit, the last stop of her six-nation trip.
Megawati heads a delegation composed of ministers and 35
business people, officials said.
A member of the Indonesia delegation said Indonesia hoped to
boost trade beyond the current level of around US$200 million of
Indonesian exports to Egypt and $16 million of Egyptian exports
to Indonesia.
Indonesian exports to Egypt were mainly wood, paper and paper
products as well as crude palm oil and textile-related materials,
while Egyptian exports to Indonesia were mainly cotton waste and
fertilizer.