In his speech to the UN General Assembly this week, Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Nabil Fahmi explained to the world the principles and goals of the 30 June Revolution, also indicating Egypt's view on a wide range of regional issues, including Palestine and Syria. According to the spokesperson of the leftist Tagammu Party Nabil Zaki, this year's General Assembly meeting has been an opportunity for Egypt to present the true face of the events the country has recently gone through, including the 30 June Revolution, the popular rallies on 26 July, and the reasons behind the ousting of former Muslim Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi. “However, the most important thing is that Egypt has been able to show the world that it is taking independent decisions of its own free will. In other words, it has broken its dependence on the US and the West,” Zaki said. The national interests of the country are now the compass that guides Egypt's foreign policy, he added. Hussein Haridi, assistant foreign minister, said the General Assembly meeting was a golden opportunity for Fahmi to meet with officials and the heads of the delegations of different countries. “The speeches are important, but the bilateral and multilateral meetings on the sidelines of the General Assembly are even more important as they give Egypt's foreign minister the opportunity to explain the developments in the country. I expect the overall outcome of these meetings to be very positive,” he said. Fahmi left for New York on Saturday to attend the General Assembly meeting, addressing the assembly on Tuesday. His speech also pointed to the fact that Egypt was drafting a new constitution. “Fahmi showed the world that Egypt was about to finish a constitution fit for a modern democratic state and to build state institutions via parliamentary and presidential elections. The aim is to finish the transitional period as soon as possible according to the new timetable,” Zaki said. A new Egyptian constitution replacing the one suspended after Morsi's ouster will be put to a referendum by the end of November, according to the spokesman of the panel drafting the constitution. The new constitution will then lead to parliamentary and presidential elections being held by mid-2014, according to a timetable set out by interim President Adli Mansour in July. On the sidelines of the General Assembly meeting, Fahmi met with a number of international officials. On Monday, he met with his US counterpart, Secretary of State John Kerry, the two men discussing bilateral relations as well as important regional issues, especially the Palestinian and Syrian issues. Fahmi reiterated his country's commitment to implementing the roadmap set out by the interim government. He assured Kerry that civilians arrested during the recent protests across Egypt would not face military trials but would be tried through the normal judicial process, a US official said. Several Egyptian human rights organisations have condemned the military trials of civilians. However, the US official said that there had been no discussion of specific US aid programmes to Egypt during the meeting. The US currently gives Egypt $1.3 billion a year in military aid and some $200 million in economic assistance. Fahmi also met with his Greek and Cypriot counterparts to follow up on what had been agreed on in the political, economic and trade fields during a visit by the two countries' representatives to Egypt last month. The two officials reconfirmed their support for Egypt. Greece is due to hold the rotating presidency of the EU from next January, and the Greek foreign minister underlined his country's wish to develop Egypt's relations with the EU. Fahmi also met the Chinese and British foreign ministers, attended meetings with Arab League foreign ministers, the Omani foreign minister and with organisations such as the Non-Aligned Movement, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. The Egyptian delegation to New York included youth figures for the first time in a move to affirm the role played by Egyptian youth in the 25 January and 30 June revolutions and in framing Egypt's domestic and foreign policy. Although the names of the youth figures included in the delegation were not disclosed until the delegation had left for New York, Zaki said their attendance was a positive sign. “It shows that Egyptian diplomacy does not only express the will of the government, but also that of all Egyptians,” he said. When Fahmi was appointed foreign minister after the 30 June Revolution, he said the aim of Egypt's foreign policy would be to explain to the world the true face of the 30 June Revolution, as well as to improve Egypt's relations with Arab, African and international states and to widen the scope of Egypt's foreign relations. His visit to New York is designed to help meet these aims. Earlier this month, Fahmi paid a three-day visit to Russia. His first official visit abroad as foreign minister was to Sudan and South Sudan, both neighbouring states that could play an important future role in the Nile water issue. He later visited Jordan and the Palestinian territories, a visit that aimed to reiterate the importance of Egypt's relations with both states. Fahmi's visits to international states like Russia are further proof that Egypt is no longer dependent in its foreign relations on particular countries but is open to a multi-polar world, Zaki commented. Haridi said that the visit to Russia might have important results in the future. “It is premature to expect a change in the course of relations with other countries in a very short time,” he added. However, such visits could well be the first step on the road towards a more balanced Egyptian foreign policy.
