Brussels, 22/08/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 21 August, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said he hoped that the decision of the Egyptian judicial system on the release of former president Hosni Mubarak would be transparent and impartial. “This is a matter for the Egyptian judicial system, but we hope that all the decisions they take, particularly on such a sensitive matter, will be transparent and will be impartial”, Hague said as he left the Foreign Affairs Council (see EUROPE 10904).
On 22 August, the leader of the S&D Group at the European Parliament, Hannes Swoboda (Austria), criticised the decision of the Egyptian court. “It is absurd that Hosni Mubarak is set free while Mohamed Morsi, the only president ever to be appointed through free elections, is in prison. This shows that Egypt has a long way to go towards freedom and democracy - possibly longer now than after the revolution of 2011”, he said. Mubarak, aged 85, left prison on 22 August to be assigned to residence in a military hospital.
Swoboda's call for a government of national unity. In his press release, Swoboda said he also wanted High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton to “make clear that only a cross-party civilian government of national unity - including the Muslim Brotherhood - can bring back the necessary stability for new elections in Egypt”. Belgium's Foreign Minister Didier Reynders will be visiting Egypt on 22-23 August. (CG/transl.fl)