neighbors promised billions of dollars to help their country's economy. the economic summit in egypt. good to have you with us ear on al jazeera, i'm david foster. coming up in the next 30 minutes, defeating boko haram. nigeria admitting that mercenaries are helping in the fight against the armed group. corruption scandal, a huge rally expected in support of brazil's president over a scandal at one of the country's biggest companies. and is the stalemate over?

swedish prosecutors agree to travel to london to question wiki leek's founder over sexual assault allocations. egypt's neighbors say they are going to inject more than $12 billion to support the egyptian economy. the promises were made at the global economic summit being held in egypts a tended by heads of state from across the region. the president al-sisi also spoke at the event. where he unveiled what is being described as anning a -- an aggressive economic recovery plan. >> translator: the egyptian society is 25% of the population

of the middle east. stability in egypt is a very important role for the civility of the whole region. we need to make sure that this power will be for the benefit of the stability of the region and the nation. this is a comprehensive development. the development will go strong in all things in order to achieve the balanced development, fair development and this will be for the sake of building a modern state, a modern state that is not only gaining that prestige of its civilization, but also a state that will go to the future will go to the promising future for their citizens. protests against this economic summit is being held in cairo. demonstrators playing -- saying

egypt is not for sale. let's talk to our senior political analyst joining us live from doha. does the fact that so many heads of state, so many big players in the international financial field have all gone there to help out egypt, does it mean that the consensus is there is no going back from the regime that is there right now? >> certainly there is a huge push for president sisi the general come president after the last coup d'etat. whether this helps egypt has yet to be seen. but it is clear with the help of saudi arabia and the united arab emirates president sisi has been able to gain some

legitimacy with several heads of state, and maybe over 2,000 investors. this is certainly a major push for sisi. >> how much of a mess is egypt in in terms of its economy? >> well you know, it -- it remains to be seen. i was just reading the main statement from the investment minister. he said basically, we need to reduce production costs to encourage investments. you and i have been talking about other issues. in terms of political economy it is really simple to encourage international investment for a country like egypt is at the bottom of the scale in terms of the competitive indicator, meaning instability, violence terrible infrastructure and so on and so forth. you need to -- you need to lower the production costs, you need to lower taxes. you need to lift the subsidies,

and you need to create that kind of a stable environment in order for the international capital which is usually a coward -- capital to come in and invest. >> something we have talked a lot about over the years is the fact that the military carries a lot of the wealth. is there an acceptance that the military is going to change that the money will filter down a bit more to those who haven't got it at the moment? >> that's exactly what i was about to say. this needs to create more employment in a country of $270 billion gross domestic product if you inject into the economy over the next several years, 30, to $50 billion certainly that's going to raise some employment level.

whether it will endure that's one thing? and also whether things will be sold at a discount? and this is something we have heard that president sisi has basically created his own new investment laws. there is no parliament in egypt. these are the kind of things that have been top down from sisi himself, and they are the ones who decided everything and clearly they are meant to benefit a lot from it whether the egyptian people in general will benefit, that remains to be seen. >> thank you. ♪ nigeria's government as admitted they have contracted with foreign mercenaries.

the government says their role is limited to training and logistics. a multinational push has brokened boko haram in northeastern nigeria. you have spoken nick, i understand to several people have you seen evidence for yourself as well? >> yeah what you have heard from senior western officials inside nigeria as well as a senior non-commissioned officer who has been wounded by boko haram, both of them lay out the exact same picture, and in the worlds of the western official is that these foreign mercenaries do the dirty work during the night, and the military comes in the day and claims report. we asked the military about these reports, and as you just

said the military claim these mercenaries are here but they are only training. and i spoke with a senior officer, and he said he doesn't have any mercenaries or does haven't them in at night and his soldiers come in in the day, but he wouldn't deny that there are mercenaries. so clearly, the nigerian military has announced its recapture from boko haram, and it's a combination of several groups like troops from chad more political will inside of nigeria, new weapons by the nigerian military, but also definitely a presence of foreign mercenaries that is helping nigeria as a whole turn the tide against boko haram. >> do you get the impression

these mercenaries have come in fairly recently? >> reporter: there have certainly been talk of mercenaries for longer than that three, four five month. there was video released about five months ago that seemed to show one of these mercenaries. so these mercenaries have arrived, it seems at the same time as the election was delayed. also has new weapons arrive and bilateral agreements were made so all four armies could fight along or across the borders, so all of this has come together in the last few months. and we are seeing very such success against boko haram whether it's because of the

south african or other mercenaries fighting at night, or a combination of all of that. regardless, the fight is definitely a very different one from the last few months and cities in the northeast and where in part boko haram was established, they are safer than they were few months ago, even though some of the soft targets like markets are still being attacked. >> nick thanks very much indeed. let's bring in an expert in nigerian politics. >> thanks for having me. >> good to have you. are they brings in these mercenaries principally to defeat boko haram, or also from stopping fighters from chad and niger from encroaching into the nigeria? >> it's true that nigeria has

proven over time somewhat incapable or understaffed to actually fight boko haram. the issue in niger and chad and cameroon have been involved must always bring in the issue about elections being won at that time. >> about the battle being won before the election. >> exactly. >> so we're talking about as nick was saying these suggestion that these people were doing the covert work if you would like they were operating at night and the military was coming in daylight hours. suggestions too they are flying helicopters and gun ships. >> that is most likely true. [ inaudible ] doesn't have the expertise to undergo such battles, but [ inaudible ] foreign countries on expertise that they don't have the technical abilityies to go out

and do themselves. >> is this something that could be used against goodluck jonathan? the fact that he is employing outsiders, or will people say, look i'm glad he is doing everything he can. >> how can you criticize somebody who is trying to curtail a situation that could possibly spread to other countries. and sadly, he can't do it by himself, so he needs the help of others, and successes have been recorded in various states and there is visible progress. is that a bad thing? yes, because it's a slight on nigerian army that they need help from others to fight their own battles, countries like chad and niger who are relatively smaller, that is a slight on the country. but the main thing that they

stop boko haram. >> will the end be a defeat of boko haram within the six-week period? what do you think? >> whether it can be done completely in six weeks i question that. but the states that was overrun by boko haram two weeks ago has been completely liberated. so clearly nigeria is winning this situation with the help of others. >> thank you very much indeed for coming in. >> thank you for having me. >> stay with us on al jazeera, also coming up here syrian kurdish fighters call for more help from the u.s.-lead coalition in the battle against isil. i'm in florida keys where a series of brutal attacks on brown pelicans has conservation

conservationists worried. ♪

>> the stream, >> your digital community >> you pick the hot topics and express your thoughts the stream it's your chance to join the conversation only on al jazeera america very good to have you with us. i'm david foster and these are the global headlines on al jazeera. egypt's gulf neighbors will invest invest money in egypt's economy. >> translator: the egyptian society is 35% of the population

of the middle east stability in egypt is a very important role for the civility of the whole region. nigeria's government as admitted that its army's troops are being trained by what it is calling foreign contractors. hundreds of mercenaries are believed to be in the country to help in the fight against boko haram. we have been reporting on iraqi forces making significant gains, they say, in the offensive against the islamic state of iraq and the levant, isil. the army there says it is now confident that victory in the city of tikrit is just a matter of days away now. the soldiers have been advancing on a number of fronts and tech territory west of the city on wednesday. fighting now focusing on the

presidential palace complex and pockets of the city center. coast guard in turkey firing on a cargo ship which was carrying more than 300 syrian refugees trying to reach italy. turkey fired on the ship after it ignored warnings to shop. the refugees have been detained among them 85 children. ♪ kurdish forces in syria have called for more support in their fight against isil. they say they want u.s.-lead air strikes to target isil held positions in syria's northeast. that's where the fighters are said to be on the offensive. but the u.s. are worried about helping the kurdish fighters.

>> reporter: these are kurdish forces in syria. they have been on the front line in the war against the islamic state of iraq and the levant. these fighters say they are defending their land against isil. they are also the anti-isil coalition's only partner on the ground in syria. the group's political wing is the pyd. >> translator: on the ground it had onning -- it is our kurds who are fighting isil. the coalition needs to support us. but it is limited to air strikes. it made us stronger no doubt, but we are not receiving any weapons or ammunition. >> reporter: the u.s.-lead coalition a acknowledges the advances, but it is careful to avoid identifying the fighters as the ypg. many in the international community consider the ypg fight ores and their political wing to

be he the syrian branch of the pkk, an organization on a european and u.s. terrorist list. >> the pyd, you could state's sort of the local affiliate of the pkk on the ground in the syria areas. so they are very closely interlinked, but of course you have to be careful, because the pkk is still on -- listed as a terrorist organization in the west. >> reporter: clearly the ypg's links to the pkk are a factor. they will not be among the groups that the u.s. plans to train. in the northeast syria's kurds are the majority. before isil advanced into their region, they were enjoying relative stability. they even had their own administration that ran their affairs.

the kurds say all they want is autonomy in a democratic syria. at first the u.s. was reluctant to help the kurds. months later their cooperation continues. it is an alliance born of necessity, not choice. big payout day for ukraine. it has received the first $5 billion charge of financing from the international monetary fund. we will get back to that in a short while. we're going back egypt. john kerry addressing the economic development conference. >> ladies and gentlemen, mr. president, in so many ways it is clear that your initiatives are

already affirming the pivotal role egypt has played in this region for so long. we have heard a number of the speakers refer to it. and i want to thank you for your partnership, and for your obvious readiness to tackle some very tough issues. there are an extraordinary number of very thoughtful very experienced leaders, particularly of the corporate sector, but also of government here. and they come from all over the world. i'm particularly pleased that some of the biggest companies in america are also here and that all of you together represent billions of dollars of investment. so i come here today, mr. president, with a very simple message. the american people are

committed to the security and political and economic well-being of the egyptian people, and we will work with you -- [ applause ] >> -- we will work with you to absolutely secure the ambitious and important goals, the vision that you have laid out here today. there is absolutely no question that the emergence of a strong prosperous democratic egypt is critical for the development of a strong and prosperous region. and egypt as a number of speakers have also alluded too, has historically been the region's most important incubator of ideas, and this does go back to the earliest days of civilization.

egypt constitutes one quarter of the arab world's population. but we also heard one of our distinguished from the emirates i think, say that egypt also is a critical part of the arab world, and the arab world can't do it without egypt. it's symbiotic. how egypt fairs in the coming years, and how it restructures its economy will affect not only the count tries nearly 90 million citizens but it will also effect millions of others throughout the region who aspire to a better future. that is why we are gathered here. we all, all of us have a stake in egypt's success, and all of the middle east needs to see that what egyptians struggle to achieve in 2011 was the real birth of opportunity and not an

illusion. that is why the united states has committed to supporting egypt's economic reforms, and i think that we can already see from what is happening that those are taking hold. i'm pleased to tell you also that before this conference was conceived, we in the united states shared the sense of the need for this economic transformation. and so last year under the auspices of the united states chamber of commerce 160 ceos leading business people representing some 70 companies, came here to spend time with president al-sisi and his administration in order to help define the future. we are already making progress laying down specific projects that will support economic growth entrepreneurship and job creation especially for the

agro business and tourist sectors. we have committed some $200 million for the enterprise fund, and another commitment to support the development of small and medium-sized businesses. and just our qualifying industrial zone program has spurred 800 million in egyptian exports to the united states last year, and supported 280,000 in egyptian jobs. that's in addition to $500 million of cent investment by the coca-cola company and others who are deeply committed to this enterprise. we also know there are challenges, and yet every one of

us are here because through those challenges we see and understand the extroerd neir potential. there is a possibility of innovation. the possibility of attracting investment, the possibility of working together on an agenda of opportunity that creates the sustainable economy, the open inclusive and transparent growth that is critical to attract capitol. so there are four things that are critical to that very quickly. first egypt needs to grow sustainably. and president al-sisi understands that. and he has taken steps on important reform. the united states is eager to build on this process, by supporting the government's engage with the imf, efforts to improve cash management lower debt deficits increase tax revenue, and reduce costly

subsidies in a way that protects the poorest citizens, and as we all know sustaining and strengthening these reforms will require courage and political will and it is evident that president al-sisi has already demonstrated that and is prepared to make those choices. secondly, egypt needs to grow openly and accountably. president al-sisi again deserves enormous credit for working to improvement the basic business climate in egypt. he just signed a new investment law that will create a one-stop shop for business which eliminates the bureaucracy, reduces the paperwork, streamlines the decision making and allowed capital to take hold and begin to work quickly. this is a very important step. and i know that it will be followed by the additional work to provide sanctity and

contracts, mechanisms for dispute resolution and protections for intellectual property rights. third, egypt obviously needs to grow inclusively and participate al-sisi is committed to that. a central demand of the revolution of 2011 was a more equal distribution of health wealth and that requirements a commitment of empowering young people to meet their dreams and aspirations and women also. and finally, egypt needs to grow transparently. we all know that foreign investors require assurance of accountability. certainty. assurance that reforms above comprehensive and long term. and immediately after taking office, president sisi announced

anti-corruption initiatives, and we strongly support his government in that effort. no one is injured more than companies, and by the way, no one country is immune to -- any country immune to any of these challenges. but no one is more injured because of them than the very companies we're trying to attract. ultimately economic growth and political development go hand in hand and that is how you build the strong society. economic growth widely shared can help to ease any disagreements that characterize the openness of governance, and at the same time the protection of individual rights and impartial administration of justice help creates the conditions for lasting investment and growth that benefits all egyptians. so, yes,