Brussels, 10/10/2011 (Agence Europe) - The High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs has said that she is "extremely concerned" at the violent clashes at a demonstration in Egypt on Sunday 9 October, which left 24 dead and 200 injured from the Coptic Christian community. "Freedom of religion or belief is a universal human right, which needs to be protected everywhere and for everybody. It must be an essential part of the transition to democracy as Egypt builds a free and democratic society", Catherine Ashton stressed in a press release and when she arrived in Luxembourg on Monday 10 October, for the Foreign Affairs Council.
The European ministers also expressed their concern. The British and German ministers, Guido Westerwelle and William Hague, are "extremely concerned" about the situation, which their Spanish counterpart Trinidad Jimenez described as "worrying". "This is a situation that we cannot accept at all", Mr Westerwelle stressed. For his part, the Italian Minister, Franco Frattini, called for the "unanimous condemnation" of the European Union.
The head of diplomacy, together with the French foreign affairs ministry, lent her support to the Egyptian Prime Minister's calls for calm and restraint. France "calls for peace and welcomes the declarations of the political and religious authorities recommending dialogue and the preservation of national unity", the Quai d'Orsay stresses (our translation). Catherine Ashton reiterated the need for an investigation to ensure that those responsible are brought before justice. "The interim authorities have the crucial task of bringing Egypt to the polls, in the first democratic and transparent elections, while ensuring law and order in a manner respectful of human rights", she added.
The President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, for his part called on the Army to do its duty. "The military leadership must be aware of its own role in the transition period. The excessive use of violence is unacceptable under any circumstances (…). Civilian control over the military must be a central element of Egyptian democracy", he stressed in a press release. (CG/transl.fl)