CAIRO: Egypt's Shura Council Speaker, Ahmed Fahmi, on Monday received a US Congressional delegation led by California Congressman David Dreier (Republican), chairman of the powerful House Rules Committee. Fahmi said the Egyptian people revolted last year to defend their right to live in freedom and democracy and to enjoy civil liberties and justice regardless of their religion, sex or race. He stressed that economic relations between Egypt and US should be based on mutual respect and reciprocated interests and a better understanding of the privacy and culture of each other. The relationship between both countries should be founded on the principles of justice and not the language of force and hegemony, he said. US achieves its regional interests with the help of its foreign aid program, he noted, pointing that many Egyptians feel unease about US aid to the country in fear that it could be used as a tool to impose pressure on the Egyptian political decision-makers. They hope that a new US policy on Egypt should be adopted to allow for a true economic partnership between the two countries, he said. On the role of the Shura Council in the coming phase, Fahmi voiced hope that the new Egyptian constitution would give the upper house of parliament more powers to be allowed to serve the nation in a better way. He stressed that the rights of the minorities in the new constitution must be fully respected and expressed appreciation of the role played by the civil society organizations and human rights watchdogs in serving the community and bringing about democratic development. However, he pointed out that these organizations should respect the principles of clarity and transparency.
