US committee praises Egypt for cooperation on religious freedom

The US committee on religious freedom praised the Egyptian government for its positive cooperation with the committee during its visit to Egypt last week.

A statement by the committee said the results of the visit would not be released before the committee has completed its regional tour in Saudi Arabia, the occupied territories and Israel.

In an effort to clarify the uncertainties surrounding the nature of the committee's mission, the statement said the purpose of the visit was to assess the impact of US foreign policy on religious freedoms.

It added that the committee had no right to make any recommendations to the countries they visit, but can only produce reports presented to the US President and Congress.

Osama El-Baz Presidential political advisor recently emphasised Egypt wouldn't allow any foreign committee to investigate religious freedom in Egypt, asserting that this was an internal issue.