Brussels, 01/08/2013 (Agence Europe) - German Foreign Affairs Minister Guido Westerwelle went to Egypt on the evening of 31 July and will stay there until 2 August. He travelled there after, and in coordination with, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton (see EUROPE 10899). He was due to meet members of the government, including Egypt's Foreign Affairs Minister Nabil Fahmy, President Adli Mansour, Vice-President Mohamed ElBaradei, Minister for Defence General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and other political players including Muslim Brotherhood leaders.
“We want to support Egypt on its path towards democracy” and prosperity, said Westerwelle after his meeting with Fahmy, stating that he was following the situation closely. Westerwelle called on the government not to use force. “We do not want any use of force and we want a new democratic beginning in Egypt with the elections, where all political forces can be involved”, he added. Westerwelle stressed that “any appearance of selective justice [must] be avoided”. Germany is one of the first countries to have called for the release of former president Mohamed Morsi - whom Westerwelle was unable to meet, despite his request. In Fahmy's opinion, “there is no justice from vengeance and not from selective justice”, and the law is applicable to everyone.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague had a telephone conversation with ElBaradei on 1 August. Hailing ElBaradei's commitment to “an inclusive political transition in Egypt, involving all political groups”, Hague said: “We want to see a peaceful revolution that will bring an end to the current bloodshed (…). This should involve a process of dialogue and reconciliation between all political parties in Egypt, including the Muslim Brotherhood”. He called for the release of all political prisoners, “including Dr Morsi, unless there are criminal charges to be made against them”, and he underlined that it is “vital that any charges are not politically motivated”.
For the Egyptian government, the sit-ins organised by the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo are a threat to national security. The government believes that “the terrorism that results from this, and the blocked roads, are no longer acceptable”. It stated on 31 July that it will intervene to bring this to an end. The Muslim Brotherhood have called for continued mobilisation. (CG/transl.fl)