Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry will take part in Saudi Arabia-based talks on fighting the Islamic State (IS), expected to take place Thursday. Arab League foreign ministers agreed on Sunday in Cairo to take all necessary measures, in cooperation with the US, to confront IS – a militant group that has overrun swathes of Iraq and Syria. Egyptian foreign ministry spokesperson Badr Abdel Ati told Reuters' Aswat Masriya that any kind of political or military cooperation between Egypt and other countries will be determined in the conference. Saudi Arabia, the world's leading oil exporter is unnerved by the rapid advance of IS and fears it could radicalise some of its own citizens and lead to attacks on the US – allied government. "The meeting will tackle the issue of terrorism in the region and the extremist organisations that stand behind it and the means of addressing it," a statement on the official Saudi Press Agency said. The statement said participants would include Egypt, Turkey, Jordan and member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which in addition to Saudi Arabia includes Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. Source: Ahram Online
