(AFP File Photo)
By Jake Lippincott
Newly sworn-in Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb met Sunday with Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim to discuss the security situation, according to an official statement released by the cabinet.
Mehleb, formerly the housing minister, gained his position during the appointment of a new cabinet last Saturday, which saw 11 new members. Mohamed Ibrahim has held his position since the administration of ousted President Mohamed Morsi.
According to the statement, the prime minister “emphasised that security comes on top of the priorities….. [and] is a vital component and a prerequisite to solve other problems facing the country.”
Besides discussing revamping traffic laws, reducing the numbers of homeless children and regulating street vendors, the prime minister addressed the issue of street crime and affirmed the new government’s commitment to combating crime and promised there would be “no complacency or a truce with the thugs.”
Mehleb also expressed his support for the interior minister and police forces in the “war on terror”, a phrase coined by security forces following Morsi’s ouster and subsequent militant attacks and violent protests. The prime minister stressed the need for pre-emptive attacks on “hotbeds of terrorism” and saying he is “with [the police] in the street… ready to sacrifice my spirit with the rest of you.”
