President Sisi defends Arab action for Yemen as imperative

Egyptian President Abdelfatah Al-Sisi said here on Saturday the ongoing Arab move to help Yemen was "imperative", accusing some "external parties" of capitalizing on the domestic circumstances of Arab countries to interfere in their affairs.
Addressing the 26th Arab Summit held in Egypt's Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh today, Al-Sisi welcomed a draft resolution agreed by Arab foreign ministers on the creation of a joint Arab force.
He said that the crises in the region have reached an unprecedented danger, renewing calls for a unified Arab force to confront regional security threats.
On terrorism, he called for laying down guidelines for the use of information and communication technology in order to address the new perils and dangers of terrorism.
He added that the Arab world pins much hope on this summit, emphasizing that several challenges and issues have to be addressed "without any delay and through effective tools".
"Such challenges target the identity of the Arab nation. We have noted how terrorists capitalized on the people's needs to hijack nations," Al-Sisi said.
Calling for addressing Arab problems economically and socially, the Egyptian leader said: "It's now imperative for us to unify efforts to tackle such risks." Al-Sisi added that there is an urgent need to filter the religious rhetoric of extremism, while emphasizing the need to support the elected and legitimate Libyan government.
On Syria, the Egyptian president reaffirmed his country's support for a political solution to the Syrian crisis which has already entered its fifth year.
He also reiterated Egyptian backing to the Iraqi government and its effort to regain its previous role in the Arab arena, while supporting the governments of Somalia and Lebanon.
On Palestine, Al-Sisi vowed that in spite of challenges Egypt is facing, the Palestinian issue would be a key priority for his country.
He concluded his speech by emphasizing Arab calls for a weapons of mass destruction (WMD)-free Middle East region.
The 26th Arab Summit is expected to focus on creating an Arab military force to fight extremist militants, a proposal foreign ministers have already signed during a meeting on Thursday.
The chaos in Libya and the Daesh will also be on top of this year's agenda.
The Palestinian cause is expected to be one of the main priorities of this year's meetings.