Egypt determined to eliminate terrorists in N. Sinai

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on Monday said the state is determined to eliminate terrorists and uproot terrorism in North Sinai.

Paying a surprise visit to students of the second session of the Presidential Leadership Program (PLP), the president added that targeting Egyptian citizens in Arish represented a cowardly plot to undermine confidence in the state, harm the national unity, and spread sedition after all previous plots have failed to destroy the country.

All the spectra of the Egyptian people bravely bear the repercussions of confronting terrorism, and a lot of Egyptian families from different segments of society sacrificed so much during clashes with terrorists in North Sinai, including heroes of the armed forces the police, and the civilians, Sisi said.

The existing crisis in the Middle East region provides a fertile environment for terrorist organizations, he added.

The president said the state spares no effort to serve Arish citizens who have received threats from terrorist groups.

He added that maintaining the national unity is the only way to overcome current challenges. 
President Sisi told the students the PLP aims at making a new generation of young people qualified in a scientific approach in order to be able to lead state's positions, presidential spokesman Alaa Youssef said.

The program provides an opportunity to discover the potential of young people and properly employ them, a matter that would serve the state by means of maximizing benefit from their qualifications, he added.

Sisi expressed hope the program would provide the participants with a comprehensive vision on state management and ways to deal with the challenges and problems in a practical and integrated manner.

He reviewed achievements made over the past three years in terms of consolidating state institutions and launching national projects aimed at bolstering the national economy, despite threats imposed on Egypt as a result of the tense regional situation and terror plots to destabilize the country.

The president expressed confidence in the Egyptian people's ability to overcome all challenges as long as they maintained solidarity and were aware of dangers surrounding the country.

He added that the national projects launched in the various governorates contributed to providing 2-3 million jobs, in addition to upgrading infrastructure and services provided to citizens.

Sisi said directives have been issued to continue operations of providing more goods into the markets with opening more government outlets for providing commodities at affordable prices.

He added the local governments' elections would be held when the bodies concerned develop the necessary legislation in this regard, encouraging the young people to effectively participate in those elections.

Fundamentals of Egypt's foreign policy is based on maintaining the Arab national security, the president said.

Any threat to the brothers in the Gulf states represents a threat to Egyptian national security, he added.

Source: MENA