Mubarak vows to defend Egypt borders against threat of “militias”
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Wednesday that Egypt would defend its borders against all threats and chided people and movements who use the slogans of resistance to advance geo-political goals, in an apparent reference to Hizbullah.
"We will not deal and we will not show leniency with militias that only bring downfall and destruction to their country," Mubarak said during a Labor Day address.
Mubarak added that his country would not accept that some groups, "who claim they are resistance groups," exploit the "sufferings of the Palestinian people to undertake dubious actions."
Mubarak, who was criticized by some in the region for not providing more assistance to Palestinians in Gaza during Israel”s three-week bombardment early this year, said that Egypt had given more to the Palestinian cause than any other country.
"Egypt”s help and support to Palestine and the Palestinians is known to all," he added.
Tense relations between Egypt and Hizbullah, a close ally of Egyptian rival, Iran, worsened during the Israeli offensive with Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah calling on Cairo to open border crossing and on Egyptians to take to the streets in protest.
Meanwhile, according to local press reports Wednesday, Egyptian authorities have asked Interpol to help track down three Lebanese ringleaders of an alleged Hizbullah cell operating in Egypt.
Citing sources close to the investigation, the Al-Mustaqbal newspaper said that Cairo had also asked Lebanese authorities to supply the real names of the individuals involved, known only as Mohammad Qabalan, Abbas and Abu Hassan, to better facilitate the Interpol investigation.
Over the last five months, Egyptian security forces have arrested 25 of 49 members of what Cairo says is a Hizbullah cell planning attacks against Egyptian and Israeli interests. Those in custody have allegedly confessed to meeting with the three Lebanese leaders of the Hizbullah cell.
Earlier this month, Nasrallah admitted that one of the men in Egyptian custody, known as Sami Shehab, was indeed a member of the Lebanese resistance movement, however, he insisted that any operatives in Egypt were tasked only to provide support to the Gaza Strip and its Hamas rulers.