Minister: Arab Investments in Egypt Show 'Political Support' for Sisi

The $12 billion pledged by three Arab states to Egypt at an international conference this weekend is a message of "clear political support" to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a minister said Saturday.

Sisi, who ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 and brutally crushed his supporters, has sought to persuade allies that his country is on the front lines of a war against regional militants. 

He has called for building a unified Arab force to fight the Islamic State group that has captured territory in Iraq and Syria, and which commands an affiliate in Egypt.

Cairo has carried out air strikes against the jihadist group inside Libya, where IS also appears to have gained a foothold.

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates pledged $12 billion (11.4 billion euros) in investment aid to Egypt at a conference attended on Friday by hundreds of business and political leaders in the coastal resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.

Minister for Planning Ashraf El-Arabi told Agence France Presse that the pledge showed the Gulf nations' support was "political, and this political support is very important in this phase".

"I believe that the message is clear that most of the world is supporting Egypt in building the new Egypt," he said.

"The (funding) announcement... makes us very comfortable, and it is a certificate of trust that Egypt will develop and become better than before."

About 100 countries and international organisations are attending the three-day conference aimed at attracting billions of dollars for Egypt's economy, which has been battered by years of political turmoil.