Strasbourg, 18/01/2008 (Agence Europe) - With the adoption by 52 votes in favour and only 7 abstentions of a resolution on the human rights situation in Egypt, the European Parliament provoked an angry response from Cairo. Before the vote by MEPs on Thursday 17 January, the Egyptian foreign minister had called together the ambassadors of member states posted to the Egyptian capital to state his categorical refusal of a text that covers several sensitive points. The speaker of the Egyptian parliament threatened, for his part, to break relations with the EP if the resolution were adopted. Not wishing to succumb to this kind of pressure, MEPs recalled during the debate that they were free to criticise human rights violations in any country and above all that Egypt was a country that comes under the EU Neighbourhood Policy.
The resolution, which is critical, also recognises the role played by Egypt in the Middle East Peace Process and the importance of its relations with the EU for the whole of the Euro-Mediterranean area. The Parliament calls, in particular, for the immediate release of opposition presidential candidate Ayman Nour, and encourages Egypt to intensify the fight against smuggling (especially weapons) carried out by using tunnels that come out in the Gaza Strip. Generally speaking, MEPs consider that recent arrests and operations against NGOs and human rights activists are detrimental to the commitments taken by the Egyptian government on human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as to the democratic process in the country. Pointing out that respect of human rights is a fundamental value of the European Union-Egypt Association Agreement, they invite the Egyptian government to end all forms of harassment, including judicial measures, the detention of media professionals and, more generally, human rights defenders and activists calling for reforms, and to fully respect freedom of expression. The Parliament thus supports the campaign for non-governmental organisations in favour of freedom of organisation, launched on 13 May 2007 by 34 NGOs. It trusts, moreover, that the Egyptian government will honour its commitment to lift the state of emergency on 31 May 2008 and vigorously supports the measures aimed at ensuring academic freedom, the freedom of the media and the freedom of one's own private religious convictions. (A.B.)