Feature: Egypt gears up to secure vital economic gathering

The Egyptian Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Shiekh in South Sinai is currently buzzing with thousands of visitors amid top security alert a few hours before the country's long-awaited Egypt Economic Development Conference (EEDC) starts on Friday.

On main Al-Salam Road, where the conference hall lies in a large hotel, security men, patrols and checkpoints could be seen everywhere, with that just short distance in between.

"The authorities have imposed tight and unprecedented security measures at the highest level to secure the conference and the participants," a senior security official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity, noting that around 50,000 police and military men from various security apparatuses take part in the security process.

He said the authorities are using highly developed devices for explosive detection as part of the security measures, noting that helicopters are also being used for air scanning and security of the area.

"Those who do not carry the conference badges are strictly prevented to approach the conference halls or the residencies of the participant official delegates," the official stressed.

A few miles away, in nearby Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street, a couple of international delegates' motorcades have been led by police motorbikes in front and police vehicles with armed policemen carrying their weapons in the rear.

The streets of the city looked neat, clean and organized, with green spots and flowery views on the sides of the streets and banners of the conference almost everywhere.

"Sharm El-Sheikh, the city of peace, is ever beautiful. It has always been safe and always will be," said a 57-year-old taxi driver, Nabil, while parking his vehicle outside one of the city's hotels.

Nabil said the city is the best place in the country to host such a big event due to its safe and well-secured status and its breathtaking views and weather, wishing that the city would always be busy with visitors so that he and his fellow drivers could find customers all the time as the case now.

The organization of the conference seems professional so far, as there is constant coordination between the Egyptian State Information Service, the Press Center and the local branch of the international organizing company Hill+Knowlton Strategies.

Around 90 countries and 25 organizations and international institutions are taking part in the activities of the three-day conference.

"There are about 3,000 delegates and about 1,200 media representatives so far," said Riham al-Adl, deputy general manager of the organization, noting that the conference attracted local and international investors, heads of states, ministers and global chairmen of biggest companies.

Adl told Xinhua that the organization and the security are going well and smoothly, noting that the participants have come to support Egypt "and Egypt has a lot of promising investment opportunities."

The EEDC is meant to provide numerous giant investment opportunity that are worth billions of U.S. dollars for local and international investors as part of the country's plan to revive its ailing economy, which economists see as a key step in the right direction.

"There are so promising investments in Egypt and everyone is confident that the Egyptian state has returned," said Mohamed Helal, head of the Energy Investors Association.

Helal said he was impressed by the beauty and the creativity in Sharm El-Sheikh, describing the preparations for the conference are "very honorable." Endit