Brussels, 17/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton briefly visited Cairo on Wednesday 17 July on her own initiative to emphasise that Egypt “needs to return as rapidly as possible to its democratic transition”.
According to a press release, her visit also sought to “reinforce” the European message that “there must be a fully inclusive political process, taking in all groups which support democracy”. Ashton pointed out that the EU “is determined to help the Egyptian people on their journey to a better future of real freedom and economic growth”. The need to kick-start the economy was also discussed with the Egyptian authorities.
The high representative held meetings with the interim president, Adly Mansour, deputy president, Mohamed El Baradei, minister for defence, General Abdelfatah Al-Sissi and prime minister, Hezam Beblawy. The interim government was sworn in the day before her visit but participants at this event did not include the Muslim Brotherhood, of which the ousted former president Morsi is a member.
Ashton was expected to hold meetings with other political party members, including the Muslim Brotherhood's Justice and Freedom Party, as well as representatives from civil society. Special Representative for Human Rights Stavros Lambrinidis and the Special Representative for the Southern Mediterranean Bernardino Leon accompanied Ashton on her visit.
The spokesperson for the French Foreign Ministry said that he hoped that the new Egyptian government “would be able to respond to the Egyptian people's many expectations and do everything it could to ensure the transfer of power as soon as possible to the democratically elected authorities”. He added that “this implies inclusion of all the different political forces and political currents” and that it was “essential” that the fundamental freedoms included in the constitutional declaration of 8 July were respected. (CG/transl.fl)