As the furore provoked by European criticism of Egypt's human rights record subsides, it is time, writes Dina Ezzat, to engage in more measured dialogue The fuss surrounding a recent resolution by the European Parliament is subsiding and Egyptian and European officials both say that despite the disagreement, disappointment and even anger, neither Cairo nor Brussels is prepared to compromise an otherwise sound relationship. "We expressed our point of view loud and clear. We made it very obvious that we are not going to accept such a patronising attitude even from our very good European friends, but we are not going to get stuck there," said one Egyptian official. "We are big boys and girls and can deal with disagreements when they occur. Business is going on as usual, for the most part," commented a European official. Though both asked for their names to be withheld, they gave candid and almost identical accounts of the strength of Egyptian- European relations on the political, economic, cultural and other fronts. Last Thursday's resolution adopted by the European Parliament commented on the state of human rights in Egypt and asked the Egyptian government to improve its record and promote other political reforms to allow for, among other things, greater press freedom and judicial independence, less harassment of those who defend human rights and the immediate release of Ayman Nour, the leader of the opposition Ghad Party. The resolution positioned several other demands relating to religious freedom and greater guarantees for democratisation. It was not the first resolution of its kind by the European Parliament, nor was it the first criticism voiced by European parliamentarians and other officials over Egypt's human rights record. Yet it prompted a particularly angry and defensive reaction from the foreign ministry which denounced the resolution as a direct and unacceptable interference in domestic affairs. "Egypt rejects this resolution root and branch. Nobody has the right to judge Egypt's human rights conditions. We have an effective legislative and constitutional framework to secure the adequate exercise of freedom of expression and opinion for every citizen," Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit, usually a firm advocate of good relations with Europe, said on Friday. The strong language used by Egypt's top Egyptian diplomat was surprising, say European officials. One European diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, pointed out that Cairo is well aware that a number of contractual agreements between Egypt and the European Union -- from the 1995 Barcelona Process up to the Egypt-European Union Action Plan signed in Brussels last March within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Initiative (ENI) -- oblige it to discuss efforts to improve human rights conditions with Brussels. European officials also say the draft resolution was circulating in the European Parliament long before its adoption last week and Cairo had ample time to lobby European parliamentarians if it had any objections. "This did not happen, which meant that we were surprised by the huge outburst, something for which we have not yet received an adequate explanation," said the source. European officials were taken aback when Egypt suddenly decided to cancel political consultations scheduled to convene yesterday in Cairo in accordance with the ENI. "We were just told it was not convenient for the meeting to assemble this week. No new date has been set," revealed the source. Egyptian officials deny that they had been inefficient in not lobbying while the resolution was in circulation and were thus forced on the back foot with a belated reaction to the draft. Instead, they accuse the pro-Israeli lobby in the European Parliament of being behind the resolution, pointing out that is harsher in language and more specific in detail than an otherwise similar resolution adopted in 2006. "This is the only explanation of why there is a reference in this year's resolution to the accusations Israel keeps leveling at Egypt over smuggling arms and money to Palestinian [militant activists] through tunnels in Rafah," insists one Egyptian official source. European officials argue the text of 11 demands put by the European Parliament are the outcome of deliberations that included consultations with political and human rights groups that had actively got in touch with the European parliamentarians, and point out that the Egyptian government could have done the same, while in Cairo officials say the foreign minister sent a clearly worded letter to all concerned parties prior to the adoption of the resolution demanding that its language be changed. Senior diplomats in Egypt speak of clear demands being pressed upon the representatives of the 27 member states of the European Union in Cairo on the eve of the adoption of the resolution. The letter, though, arrived too late. There is a "clear limit" to how far any European official can go in influencing the overall trend of a parliamentary resolution of this nature at such short notice. "It was simply out of our hands," says the European source. By the end of the week tensions were subsiding slowly but surely. Plans for joint meetings and projects on several fronts, including cooperation over banking later this month and an information technology Euro-Mediterranean meeting to be hosted by Egypt next month are going ahead as scheduled. Nor do there seem to be any changes in President Hosni Mubarak's plans to visit Italy later this month to sign a strategic partnership pact between Cairo and Rome, and the state visit by the King of Spain early next month is expected to go ahead. In the midst of attacks on the European Parliament, Mrs Suzanne Mubarak was hosting a three-day seminar under the title "Dialogue among peoples and cultures" at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. The seminar argued that despite different political and cultural agendas north, east and south of the Mediterranean there remained room for the promotion of common values through dialogue and interaction. "We are committed firmly to all calls for serious and candid dialogue among the peoples and cultures of the world, especially around the Mediterranean," Mrs Mubarak said in her opening statement to the seminar on Saturday morning. In her speech she argued that disagreements could only be breached through dialogue, away from confrontations, "provided that the dialogue is conducted on the basis of mutual respect and away from all forms of impositions". The issue of human rights and democracy, and the extent to which European countries could "patronise" Arabs -- or Turkey -- over these two files was debated during the three day seminar, though in a very cordial atmosphere. Some, including Prince Hassan Bin Talal of Jordan and Federico Mayor, former UNESCO director and current president of the Spanish Foundation for the Culture of Peace, argued that while there is still room for improvement in Europe's own human rights record there is a mutual interest between societies around the Mediterranean to exchange their experience and views over these and other issues concerning inter-people dialogue. The Alexandria seminar, at which all participants agreed closer observation of human rights and democratic principles was a fundamental element of modernisation, is the third in a series that began in Paris two years ago and was followed up in Seville last year. Like the two earlier seminars, Alexandria adopted a declaration calling for closer Euro- Mediterranean rapport. The translation of books from Arabic to European languages and vice versa, the production of joint Arab- European television programmes for children and the establishment of research institutes and schools dedicated to cross-cultural dialogue were among the recommendations. Amr Elshobaki, the director of the Arab- European Studies Unit at Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, stresses that calm dialogue rather than "exaggerated angry reactions" is the best way forward in managing Egyptian-European relations. While Egypt has "every right to protest any interference in its internal affairs," Elshobaki argues that matters related to human rights and democratisation no longer fall exclusively within the realm of sovereign national rights. Elshobaki believes "the time has come" for Egyptian diplomats to reconsider their role in defending Egypt's human rights record. "There needs to be a new understanding on the part of the diplomatic apparatus in Egypt about this issue. Egypt could have offered a detailed factual response to the charges included [directly or indirectly] in the European Union resolution. This would have been more effective." The European resolution, he says, is neither the first of the last that will be issued on the subject by Western or international organisations. "We need to stop thinking of Europeans as the friends who will support Egypt whatever, and while it is true that the EU is unlikely to be as aggressive as, say the US Congress, in its criticism of Egypt," Elshobaki says, this does not mean that the Europeans will not speak out against Egypt's performance on matters related to human rights and democracy, especially in view of the many contractual agreements between Egypt and the European Union. "If we continue to shrug off every criticism made by the Europeans then we will [eventually harm] the very Egyptian-European cooperation we need to foster in view of our common interests and common views on some of the most pressing regional matters."
