EU, Arab League join to combat terrorism

BRUSSELS, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- European Union and Arab League representatives met in Brussels and announced new joint anti-terrorism projects and sharing of intelligence.

The meetings Monday, which included EU ministers and Arab League Secretary General Nabil Elaraby, came in response to terrorist-related attacks in France and Belgium, after which EU Foreign Affairs chief Federica Mogherini said information on suspected terrorists would be shared between the EU and Muslim countries across the world.

"We need to strengthen the ways we cooperate together, first with Muslim countries and then internally. We will start with a discussion on how to counter terrorism not only in Europe but in other parts of the world. We need to share information more, we need to cooperate more. We will discuss with the secretary general how to increase the level of cooperation with our partners. We need an alliance, a dialogue," Mogherini said.

Key projects will begin with Turkey, Egypt, Yemen, Algeria and Gulf states, ministers said after the meetings, and the United States will join a conference of European and Arab countries, later this week in London, to review coalition efforts in fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

"The Muslim countries of the world are the ones that have suffered the greatest burden of terrorism. They will continue to be in the front line, and we have to work closely with them to protect both those countries and the EU countries," British Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond said in Brussels.