Health ministers adopt 'Cairo Call to Action' to tackle breast cancer across Eastern Mediterranean    Malaysian PM congratulates Egypt's Al-Sisi on Gaza peace deal    CIB's Hisham Ezz Al-Arab wins Global Finance lifetime achievement award    Al-Sisi reviews Cairo Airport's new terminal project designed to handle 30 million passengers annually    Pakistan launches 'precision strikes' on Afghan border militants after suicide attack    Trump urges Ukraine conflict freeze, dashes Zelenskyy's hopes for advanced arms    Egypt's Al-Mashat discusses MIGA portfolio, second EU assistance tranche with officials    Egypt raises fuel prices, imposes one-year freeze amid cost pressures    Egypt, India hold first strategic dialogue to deepen ties    Egypt courts Indian green energy investment in talks with Ocior Energy    Egypt: Guardian of Heritage, Waiting for the World's Conscience    Egypt, Qatar sign MoU to boost cooperation in healthcare, food safety    EGX ends week mostly higher on Oct. 16    Egypt, UK, Palestine explore financing options for Gaza reconstruction ahead of Cairo conference    Egypt will never relinquish historical Nile water rights, PM says    Egypt explores cooperation with Chinese firms to advance robotic surgery    AUC makes history as 1st global host of IMMAA 2025    Al Ismaelia launches award-winning 'TamaraHaus' in Downtown Cairo revival    Al-Sisi, Burhan discuss efforts to end Sudan war, address Nile Dam dispute in Cairo talks    Egypt's Cabinet hails Sharm El-Sheikh peace summit as turning point for Middle East peace    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile actions, calls for global water cooperation    Egypt unearths one of largest New Kingdom Fortresses in North Sinai    Egypt unearths New Kingdom military fortress on Horus's Way in Sinai    Egypt Writes Calm Anew: How Cairo Engineered the Ceasefire in Gaza    Egypt's acting environment minister heads to Abu Dhabi for IUCN Global Nature Summit    Egyptian Open Amateur Golf Championship 2025 to see record participation    Cairo's Al-Fustat Hills Park nears completion as Middle East's largest green hub – PM    El-Sisi boosts teachers' pay, pushes for AI, digital learning overhaul in Egypt's schools    Syria releases preliminary results of first post-Assad parliament vote    Karnak's hidden origins: Study reveals Egypt's great temple rose from ancient Nile island    Egypt resolves dispute between top African sports bodies ahead of 2027 African Games    Egypt reviews Nile water inflows as minister warns of impact of encroachments on Rosetta Branch    Egypt aims to reclaim global golf standing with new major tournaments: Omar Hisham    Egypt to host men's, juniors' and ladies' open golf championships in October    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



MPs delegation to visit EU parliament to combat 'lies'
Published in Amwal Al Ghad on 20 - 03 - 2016

Egypt's parliament has authorised an eight-member delegation to visit Brussels next month, to respond to the European Parliament's recent resolution which condemned alleged human right violations in Egypt.
The non-binding resolution, issued on 10 March, criticised what it described as the deterioration of human rights in Egypt, in the context of the death of Italian student Giulio Regeni, whose body was found on 3 February bearing marks of torture.
Egypt's House of Representatives, were quick to condemn the resolution, describing it as politicised, groundless, and showing a lack of respect for the country's sovereignty.
Alaa Wali, an independent MP from the constituency of Kerdasa in Giza, told Ahram Online that he and many other MPs felt disappointed with the European Parliament's resolution.
"They exploited the death of an Italian student in Egypt – Giulio Regeni – in mysterious circumstances to interfere in the country's internal affairs in a very arrogant way and to tarnish Egypt's image in a very bad way," said Wali, who will be part of the delegation.
"Not only did they refuse to wait until the legal investigation into this incident is finished, but also opted to cite inaccurate information to jump to hasty conclusions about the human rights situation in Egypt," he added.
Wali, a businessman, disclosed that the visit, approved by speaker Ali Abdel-Al, will be held between 3 and 7 April – a period during which the European Parliament will be in session.
"We will try our best to convey to MEPs the most up-to-date and accurate legal and judicial information about Regeni's death and respond to their attacks about the human rights situation in Egypt -- particularly the issue related to what is called enforced disappearances," said Wali.
Wali and most Egyptian MPs believe that the European Parliament receives most of its information about conditions from human rights in Egypt from Muslim Brotherhood officials living in Europe – especially London and Munich - and from Western media highly hostile to the regime of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.
"Both rushed to seize incidents like Regeni's death to spread their lies about how 'peaceful' demonstrations are being crushed and how people exercising freedom of speech are being detained every day," said Wali.
Many Egyptian MPs also believe that the European Parliament includes a lot of radical liberal MPs who adopt highly extremist and hypocritical positions on human rights.
"The views of those liberals on human rights only lead to chaos," said MP Heba Hagras, also part of the delegation.
"If a Middle Eastern regime tries to restore calm on the streets or stand up to violent protests like the ones organised by Muslim Brotherhood, it would be automatically called a dictator regime. But if a country like France decides to change the constitution and impose a state of emergency, it would face no criticism and would even be given a free hand on the grounds of protecting its national security," said Hagras.
Wali argued that strong awareness among Egyptian parliamentarians of the importance of keeping Egyptian-Italian relations intact also represents another objective for the visit to the European Parliament.
"Because we highly value this relationship, we will do our best to block those who aim to undermine it from achieving their malicious intentions," said Wali.
Wali wondered why the death of Regeni was exposed on the same day a high-level Italian delegation was on a visit in Cairo to negotiate business deals with the government of Egypt.
"It was not a coincidence, but was deliberate, to subvert relations with Italy in the same way the terrorists of the Islamic State group in Sinai tried to sabotage relations with Russia when they announced they were responsible for downing a Russian passenger airliner last October," said Wali.
The delegation of Egyptian MPs to Brussels will be led by Ahmed Said, a businessman and former chairman of the liberal-oriented Free Egyptians Party.
In addition to Said, Wali and Hagras, the delegation will also include businessman Mohamed El-Sewedi, Ahmed Khalil from the Salafist Nour Party, Karim Nabil, an independent MP representing Cairo's Heliopolis district, Sherine Faraag, a presidential appointee to the parliament, and
Ahmed Samir Mahmoud, who represents the Future of Egypt party in 6 October city.
Some MPs, however, have been critical of the planned visit to Brussels.
Hani Abaza, an MP with the liberal Wafd Party, wondered: "Why didn't the delegation include a Wafdist MP? Most of the members of this small delegation are businessmen and female MPs and I really doubt that they will be able to present a strong case about Egypt in Brussels."
Mostafa Bakri, an independent MP, also wondered why "the Egyptian parliament is making a lot of foreign visits at a time when the country is suffering from a severe shortage in foreign currency."
Bakri also raised strong doubts that the delegation to Brussels will have a positive impact.
"It is a waste of time and money to conduct a dialogue with human rights fanatics in this arrogant European Parliament," said Bakri.
source: Ahram Online


Clic here to read the story from its source.