UAE National security adviser retired Egyptian General Sayed Ghoneim (Photo courtesy of Facebook official account)
A United Arab Emirates' (UAE) national security advisor, retired Egyptian general Sayed Ghoneim, has called for a joint Arab force to fight terrorism.
He was speaking on the sidelines of the 4th edition of the Middle East Homeland Security Summit, which he headed.
The summit concluded by recommending a holistic approach to political, security, economic and social issues and collective, strong and effective counter-terrorism initiatives.
Ghoneim said the Arab League, with support of the international community, must create a well-organised system that brings Arabs together along with other international partners to coordinate counter-terrorism efforts.
"Arab nations must work hard to provide the Arab League with the appropriate conditions and tools to form a joint Arab defense force," Ghoneim said.
"This joint Arab defense force would be effective in facing terrorist groups," Ghoneim told Ahram Online.
Ghoneim also stressed that cyber-security should be taken seriously alongside other national security issues.
"We all agreed that there is a period that starts with terrorist organisations recruiting young people, then training them, then the terrorist attack itself," he said.
This period should be studied and analysed in depth, said Ghoneim, to ascertain the appropriate tools and counter-terrorism techniques to block the process.
The summit also discussed border security, transporting and protecting refugees in places like Syria and Iraq, and the role of moderate Islam in fighting extremist ideology in Arab and Islamic countries.
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