Egypt welcomes cooperation with all international and Non-Governmental Human Rights Organizations
Egypt, Politics, 3/16/2005

A responsible source in Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Egypt welcomes cooperation with all international governmental and non-governmental human rights organizations.

He added that Egypt also welcomes objective criticism by such organizations in a way which allows the national mechanisms to deal with such subject.

The source criticized, in his reply to the Human Rights Watch report on February on the terror events of Taba, attempts to politicize a criminal activity which is being duly handled by the security authorities.

He expressed surprise at the organization's request to Egyptian authorities to announce the preliminary results of investigations in the issue of Taba.

The source noted that the organization sent a letter of appreciation to the Egyptian government on its cooperation during its visit to Egypt, a matter which refutes its allegation of absence of transparency.

The organization declared its report on events of Taba in a press conference in Cairo on February 22.

Egyptian Foreign Ministry has issued a statement to reply on the report of the organization which replied on such statement.

The source specified his reply on the organization as following:

ÊÊÊ 1-It was better for the organization to send a full copy of its report to the Egyptian authorities before declaring it with an enough period of time in order to give the Egyptian authorities the opportunity to reply on it.

The organization said that it gave the Egyptian embassy in Washington a copy of the report on February 18 three days before its visit to Egypt, a matter which did not provide enough time for Egyptian authorities to study it.

2-It was supposed that the organization will send its request to arrange meetings with officials in the Ministry of Interior and Bureau of Attorney General via Egypt's embassy in Washington, not by direct contact with these authorities.

Both the Ministry of Interior and the Bureau of Attorney General arranged meetings, when they received such request, with officials of the organization in the ministry on February 22 and in the bureau of Attorney General on February 23, the matter which clarifies that Egyptian authorities are ready for full cooperation with the organization.

3-The organization accused Egyptian authorities of absence of transparency because they did not inform it within the results of the primary investigations on the events of Taba, but it is known that there is no country in the world which declares the results of primary investigations because such declaration will harm investigations, which means that the request of the organization is not logical.

4-The organization alleged that Egyptian authorities arrested some persons without investigations, but such procedures have been taken according to the law and under the supervision of the judicial authorities.

5-The Egyptian government spares no effort to protect dignity and rights of Egyptian citizens and face any trespassing putting into consideration the deep-rooted constitutional principles. Therefore, the government will deal with any trespassing in the frame of the Egyptian law.

Egyptian authorities do not ignore any complaint and deal with it according to the law and the constitution.

6-People of Sinai issued a document which reveals their positive cooperation with security authorities which finally led to the arrest of those responsible for Taba events.

Such cooperation refutes all allegations of the organization.

7-Such allegations represent an attempt to politicize a criminal activity. The source said that Egypt meets all mechanisms of the UN in the field of human rights and deals with all notes and complaints in this field.

Executive Manager of Human Rights Watch Organization, Joe Stork, said, in a message to Al- Ahram newspaper, that he met with officials in the Egyptian embassy in Washington on February 11, ( ten days before the visit to Egypt), to give them the report and affirmed that the Egyptian government did not lay obstacles before the visit of the organization.

He alleged that the statement of the Ministry of Interior is not transparent under the pretext that Egyptian authorities did not provide any basic information about investigations which followed Taba events.

Stork appreciated the pledge of Egyptian government to put into consideration facts, allegations and recommendations in the report.

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