by Xinhua Writers Wang Wei, Chen Gongzheng

    CAIRO, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Egypt on Sunday launched a coordinated campaign, both in the legislation and on the official press, against Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, who tried to justify the presence of the movement's elements in Egypt.

    "We want to tell Hezbollah, the source of terrorism for our country, that Egypt wouldn't be a ground to test your plots. And Egypt wouldn't be a ground either for Hezbollah or others to carryout their conspiracy," said Chairman of the Shura Council (upper house) Safwat el-Sharif at a special session of the legislation on Sunday.

    "And we won't permit anyone to despise our sacred sovereignty and dignity," Sharif added.

    Moreover, Minister of State for Legal Affairs and Parliamentary Councils Mufid Shehab said, "Nasrallah admitted that Sami Hani Shehab, a leader of Hezbollah arrested in Egypt, had provided logistical support to the Palestinians. And he didn't deny that Shehab's entering Egypt and what he was doing in Egypt is illegal."

    The minister condemned "any act of sabotage that took place inside or outside Egypt," adding "the Egyptian government does not accept anyone to undermine its security."

    Meanwhile, the Egyptian newspapers also joined on Sunday the chorus of condemning Nasrallah with harsh editorials.

    "He (Nasrallah) should be dealt with under the Egyptian law and international law. He deserves an international arrest warrant," said an editorial carried by the official daily Al-Ahram.

    "Why did Nasrallah admit that the Lebanese detainee belongs to his party and was particularly working for the Palestinians from the Egyptian side of Rafah?" asked an editorial by Abdallah Kamal, editor-in-chief of the pro-government Rosa el-Youssef daily, hinting at Nasrallah's confession about Hezbollah elements in Egypt.

    He also accused Nasrallah of trying to form a "sleeper cell" in Egypt.

    Earlier on Wednesday, Egyptian Attorney General Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud said Egypt had arrested 49 men for allegedly being Hezbollah agents, accusing them of planning "hostile operations."

    Two days later, Nasrallah denied in a televised speech any plot for attacks inside Egypt, while admitting that Sami Hani Shehab, a Lebanese among those 49 arrested by Egypt, was a member of the Shiite armed group.

    Nasrallah tried to justify the presence of Shehab in Egypt by saying that his mission was to provide assistance for the Palestinians.

    "Our brother Sami, is a member of Hezbollah, we do not deny this, he was giving logistic help in equipment and elements to the Palestinian resistance at the Egyptian-Palestinian borders, and all other charges are denied," Nasrallah said.

    Egypt's Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif said on Saturday in response to Nasrallah's remarks that his country's security is a "red line."

    "The Egyptian national security is a red line that can not be bypassed and the security forces are fully capable of protecting the country," Nazif said in a statement during a special inauguration ceremony at the Cairo Tower, a landmark in the city's downtown.

    The Sunni-dominated country and the Iran-backed Shiite group have been at odds since the 22-day Gaza war, in which the latter accused Egypt of collaborating with Israel by closing its Rafah border crossing, Gaza's sole gateway that bypasses the Jewish state.