The spat between Egypt and the European Parliament provoked mixed reactions in the People's Assembly, writes Gamal Essam El-Din The European Parliament's 17 January draft resolution condemning Egypt's human rights record predictably opened a Pandora's box in the People's Assembly. No sooner had news of the resolution reached the assembly than speaker Fathi Sorour was joined by a majority of members of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) in a public display of fury. Shortly before leaving on a parliamentary visit to France and England, Sorour said he was shocked by the draft resolution and threatened that if passed he would cut all ties with the European Parliament. Sorour argued that the resolution contradicted an agreement reached at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Indonesia last summer which ratified a Venezuelan proposal rejecting interference in the internal affairs of members under the guise of advancing democracy and human rights. "This is why it looks strange to me that the European Parliament, though aware of the IPU resolution, has insisted on meddling in Egypt's internal affairs." "I say to those who go to foreign institutions like the European Parliament to appeal to its members to meddle in the internal affairs of their country that the age of capitulation is over and Egypt no longer accepts the language of foreign dictates," Sorour continued. "Egypt, and the Egyptian parliament, is ready for rational dialogue with the European Parliament because this is the only way to make the impossible possible. Egypt is quite capable of opening the scandalous files of human rights abuses in Europe but it will not do this because it respects its historic ties with Europe." Sorour said both he and Safwat El-Sherif, chairman of the consultative Shura Council and secretary-general of the NDP, had decided to boycott this week's meetings of the Euro- Mediterranean parliament's Political and Economic Sub-committees "in protest at the European Parliament's resolution". Sorour is expected to use the meeting of the Union of Muslim Parliaments (UMP), due to be held in Cairo between 25 and 31 January, to mobilise support from Muslim parliamentarians for a counter-attack against the European Parliament's resolution. A press release issued by Sorour's office on Monday said the UMP will concentrate on "Islamophobia in Europe" and "Western hostility against Islamic values". The release also said Sorour had received a message of support from the Damascus-based Arab Parliamentary Union (APU which condemned the European resolution, "which comes at a time when it turns a blind eye to Israeli atrocities in Gaza Strip". Sorour was due in London this week to meet Speaker of the House of Commons Michael Martin. He said his talks with Martin and Speaker of the House of Lords Baroness Hayman would focus on boosting British-Egyptian parliamentary cooperation in areas of human rights, anti-terror legislation and illegal immigration. NDP MPs rallied behind Sorour. Mohamed Abul-Enein, the business tycoon and chairman of the assembly's Industry Committee, said Hans- Gert Poettering, president of the European Parliament, spoke with him on the phone in an attempt to contain the fall out from the resolution. Poettering also phoned Sorour, urging him not to boycott the Euro-Mediterraean meetings and resume dialogue with the European Parliament. Sorour said he was happy that the resolution was passed by only 57 out of total 784 MPs, but warned that if becomes final it will seriously damage relations with Egypt. Some NDP MPs blamed the resolution on Israel. Abdel-Ahad Gamaleddin, NDP parliamentary spokesman, said he suspected Tel Aviv of trying to kill two birds with one stone -- embarrass Egypt and distract international attention from its atrocities in Gaza. Abdel-Ahad argued that the fact the resolution asked Egypt to tighten its control of the Gaza border suggested the hand of Israel. "This is a similar scenario to that witnessed in the US Congress last month when the Jewish lobby pressed Congresspeople to approve the withholding of $100 million of annual American military assistance to Egypt." Most NDP MPs, however, believe that it is the imprisonment of Ayman Nour, former leader of the Ghad Party and runner up to Hosni Mubarak in Egypt's first contested presidential elections, that sparked the European resolution. It called for the immediate release of Nour, currently serving a five year prison sentence on charges that he forged signatures in order to gain a licence for his party. Nour's wife Gamila Ismail told Al-Ahram Weekly that it is no secret that the European Parliament has expressed deep unease at the way Nour's case was handled. "Members of the European Parliament have been denied visiting rights to Nour," she said. "Now it is time for the Egyptian government to pay the price for mistreating him." Opposition and independent MPs, quick to insist they refuse all forms of foreign interference in Egypt's affairs, do point out that the European Parliament's resolution rings alarm bells over Egypt's human rights record. Hussein Ibrahim, spokesman of the Muslim Brotherhood's parliamentary bloc, told Al-Ahram Weekly that "the issue of human rights has become a global language". "Although each country has its own particulars, respect of human rights is now a concern for all peoples and international institutions, especially parliaments." Ibrahim said that although the Brotherhood does not agree with the European Union on some points, such as respect of gay rights, it believes the resolution criticising Egypt's poor record on human rights was "founded on sound facts". Rather than deploring criticism of Egypt's human rights record the NDP could better spend its time and energy on seeking ways to improve that record, he says, which would then leave less room for foreign institutions to embarrass Egypt over the issue. Gamal Zahran, an independent MP with leftist leanings, objected to Sorour's threat to sever the People's Assembly's ties with the European Parliament. "I would hope that Sorour will accept the resolution not as interference in internal affairs, but as a warning that the state of human rights in Egypt is becoming an international issue," said Zahran. He urged the government to end all forms of torture and ill-treatment in prison cells and police stations, and to stop arresting political opponents and referring them to military tribunals.
