Abdel Aal attends conference for combating terrorism on Feb. 26

CAIRO – 27 February 2019: “The elimination of terrorism will only be achieved by confronting the ideological roots of Takfirism that are causing the spread of this phenomenon,” said Parliament Speaker Ali Abdul Aal on Tuesday in a regional conference for combating terrorism in Luxor.

The two-day conference is held in cooperation with the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the United Nations Office for Combating Terrorism, and under the auspices of the European Union.

Abdel Aal stressed the seriousness of the phenomenon of terrorism in general and highlighted the main elements of the Egyptian strategy to combat terrorism.

"Eliminating terrorism requires a comprehensive strategy, not only on the security and military levels, but also through promoting the values of democracy and reforming religious discourse to promote the values of tolerance, coexistence and respect for others," he said.

Abdel Aal also affirmed that terrorism cannot be completely eradicated unless a unified international stance is taken against all terrorist organizations without discrimination.

The conference was attended by Chairman of the National Union Council Amal Al-Qubesi; secretary-general of the Inter-Parliamentary Union; several officials of the union and the United Nations; parliamentarians from Egypt, the Middle East and North Africa; as well as a number of experts in the field of countering-terrorism.

The conference aims to discuss the role of parliamentarians in confronting the threat of terrorism. It is organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Egyptian Parliament, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the United Nations Office for Countering-Terrorism.