03.04.2014
Meeting of the AFET Chair with the Foreign Minister of Egypt on 2 April
The Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Mr Elmar Brok, met on 2 April 2014 with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, Ambassador Nabil Fahmy. Mr Brok expressed deep concerns at the mass trials of Muslim Brothers, stressing how the sentencing of several hundreds of people after an extremely short trial is incompatible with due process and fundamental rights. „This is a time for Egypt to promote national reconciliation and political pluralism and such trials hinder such path“ said Mr Brok. Mr Fahmy appeared to share his concerns, but stressed the importance to respect the independence of the judiciary. Mr Fahmy said that Egypt requires more time to achieve its transition to democracy.