Abul Gheit: Hizbullah or its Tenfold Cannot Threaten Egypt
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said a group like Hizbullah cannot threaten Cairo”s security but warned the group not to act inside Egypt”s territories without its consent.
"The security of Cairo cannot be threatened by a group like Hizbullah or tenfold" this group, Abul Gheit told Russia Today TV.
"When a party or a state decides to play inside Egyptian territories …. such as providing military aid to Hamas and resistance forces in Gaza, it has to get the consent of Egypt" first, the FM stressed.
He warned in the interview that not a single person can decide "to act on his own" if Egypt refuses such operations. "This is totally rejected."
Abul Gheit was referring to the discovery of a cell led by a member of Hizbullah which was allegedly planning attacks against Jews and Egyptian interests.
"If you don”t stop, we will have a different stance," he told Hizbullah and its backer Iran.
Asked about the official Lebanese stance on the alleged Hizbullah cell, Abul Gheit said: "Beirut didn”t bring up the issue officially because it felt this would mean an embarrassment for the Lebanese interior. We appreciate this."
On Syria, the Egyptian FM said that Cairo has calm relations with Damascus, adding that "there is no problem at all."
Abul Gheit met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow Wednesday ahead of the head of state”s planned visit to Egypt end of June.
Medvedev praised his country”s "strategic" ties with Egypt and told the foreign minister that the level of dialogue "has become that of a strategic order."