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.