CAIRO -- The kidnapping of seven Egyptian soldiers in Sinai and the excessive demands of kidnappers reflect deteriorating security and lack of development in the chaotic peninsula, Egyptian analysts said, stressing Sinai development an urgent need to combat extremists.

On Thursday, a group of militants, believed to be members of the hardline Jihadist group, abducted seven recruits from the police and the military in North Sinai's Green Valley, some 20 km away from the governorate's capital city Arish.

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi stressed Sunday that there would be no dialogue with the kidnappers of Sinai soldiers and promised comprehensive development in Sinai as one of the means of combating growing extremism in the peninsula. "The kidnapping reflects worsening security conditions in Sinai and it negatively affects the reputation of the Egyptian police and military," said security expert General Sameh al-Waziri, who rejected any negotiations with kidnappers.

Waziri referred the growing extremism in Sinai to the lack of social and economic development. "Over 500,000 residents in Sinai are under poverty line, which makes them desperate and easily recruited in such extremist groups," he explained.

The ex-police official told Xinhua that Sinai should be given priority in development instead of the ongoing Suez Canal Corridor, warning that without construction and development in Sinai it would be "a resort for terrorism and a suitable land for extremism. "

Waziri completely rejected negotiations with kidnappers to release the soldiers, stressing that police or army special forces are able to free the soldiers and teach Sinai extremists a lesson.

"I am against responding to the kidnappers' demands as it would harm the name of the police and the military alike and lead to more similar terrorist activities," Waziri, who worked for 26 years as a State Security Police officer, told Xinhua.

Security and strategic expert Adel al-Qalla, a retired armed forces general, agreed with Waziri that the kidnapping showed deteriorating security and loose control in Sinai.

He also agreed that the development of Sinai is key to combating growing extremism in "the most strategic region in Egypt, the Middle East and the whole world."

"I ask President Morsi to focus on the development of Sinai by establishing factories and companies there instead of focusing on the Suez Canal region and lose the loyalty of Sinai residents," Qalla recommended.

The strategic expert, however, said that negotiations with the kidnappers is necessary to rescue the soldiers.

"Negotiations would not hurt, especially that the kidnappers demanded the release of some suspects in Sinai who have been in temporary custody for over four years, which is illegal," Qalla told Xinhua.

He added that although Sinai Bedouins rejected the kidnapping of soldiers, they sympathized with the kidnappers who demanded the release of some Sinai people imprisoned for years over mere suspicion.

For his part, Egyptian writer Makram Mohamed Ahmed, former head of Egypt's press syndicate, said that the smuggling tunnels at the borders between Egypt's North Sinai and the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip were among the reasons behind growing extremism in the peninsula.

"The state should not continue to allow such secret tunnels that contribute to prevailing extremism and post a threat to the country's national security," Ahmed told Xinhua.

The renowned writer added that the unfulfilled development promises made to Sinai people over the past few years led to their disappointment and made them vulnerable to host extremism.

"The people of Sinai were promised to get ownership papers for their lands and to have their full citizenship rights but nothing was fulfilled," Ahmed lamented.

As for negotiations with kidnappers, Ahmed rejected them as " negotiations with terrorism," noting that Egypt is not currently stable enough to hold such negotiations.