EU foreign policy head Catherine Ashton and US Secretary of State John Kerry Cairo – Mohammed Al Dawi Egyptian political activist Saeed Abdel Hafiz has spoken out against “foreign interference” in his country’s affairs, after the US and the European Union issued a joint statement urging Egypt’s interim government to avoid political polarisation.
US Secretary of State John Kerry and the EU foreign policy head Catherine Ashton issued the joint plea on Wednesday, after the interim president Adly Mansour announced the failure of talks with the Muslim Brotherhood.
Speaking to Arab Today on Thursday, Saeed Abdel Hafiz insisted that Washington and Brussels were standing against the will of the Egyptian people, claiming that the Ashton-Kerry statement betrayed western support for the Muslim Brotherhood.
The statement emphasised that the Egyptian government had a duty to protect its citizens, as well as the democratic process, although it warned against apportioning blame.
Egypt’s army-installed interim government and the Muslim Brotherhood blame each other for the failure of mediation to lift the country out of the current crisis.
Hafiz, who heads the Maat Foundation for Peace, Development and Human Rights, warned that the USA and EU risked losing a powerful and honest ally in the Middle East.
He said international pressure was attempting to undermine the right of Egyptians to make their own decisions, adding that he thought the Muslim Brotherhood was using the western media to its advantage.
\"The joint statement of the European Union and the United States snatches a part of Egyptian sovereignty, after their insistence on establishing a dialogue\", he said.
The statement by John Kerry and Catherine Ashton came after a week of international diplomatic efforts to break the impasse in Egypt, where authorities have warned supporters of ousted president Mohammed Morsi to end protests calling for his return. Muslim Brotherhood supporters, who want Morsi to be reinstated, refuse to accept the legitimacy of the army-installed interim government.
The Kerry-Ashton statement said the USA and EU had been “working together intensively over the past week to urge the government and opposition parties to begin a process of genuine reconciliation, and move ahead inclusively to consider amendments to the Constitution and prepare as quickly as possible for Parliamentary and Presidential elections.”
“The Egyptian government bears a special responsibility to begin this process to ensure the safety and welfare of its citizens. This remains a very fragile situation, which holds not only the risk of more bloodshed and polarization in Egypt, but also impedes the economic recovery which is so essential for Egypt’s successful transition. Now is not the time to assess blame, but to take steps that can help initiate a dialogue and move the transition forward,” the statement continued.
Perhaps anticipating criticism similar to that issued by Hafez, Kerry and Ashton said they “both understand fully that only Egyptians can make the choices that will shape their future at this historic moment.”
“We support basic democratic principles, not any particular personalities or parties. We are firmly opposed to violence, support the right to non-violent protests, and realize that progress in Egypt can only come through a peaceful political process in which all parties can compete on an equal footing,” the statement concluded.