Chirac asked to speak about Egyptian opposition leader Ayman Nour

The leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), Graham Watson, in the European Parliament called today on French President Jacques Chirac to raise the case of Egyptian opposition leader Ayman Nour during his meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo later Wednesday.

In the European Parliament, Liberals and Democrats have been at the forefront of the international campaign calling for the release of the imprisoned leader of Egypt's democratic opposition party who stood last year as a candidate in Egypt's presidential elections.

"Jacques Chirac will probably discuss the Iranian nuclear stand- off as well as the Israel-Palestinian conflict. He must also speak up to promote democracy in the Middle East," said Watson in a statement.

Barely a month ago, the European Parliament unanimously adopted a resolution calling for the liberation of Ayman Nour.

An Egyptian court in December sentenced Nour to five years in prison with forced labor on charges that he had forged signatures on the petition to register his Ghad (Tomorrow) Party a year earlier. In Egypt's first multi-candidate presidential election last September, Nour was the most vigorous critic of Mubarak, the incumbent, and received more votes than any other challenger. In the November-December parliamentary elections, Nour lost his seat to a former high-ranking state security official.

"Human rights, religious freedom and democracy are all part of the "political dialogue and reform" Chapter of the Action Plan that the EU and Egypt are currently negotiating in the framework of the European Neighborhood Policy. Liberals and Democrats urge for progress to be made.

The French foreign ministry yesterday said "We deplore the religious violence which occurred in Alexandria last weekend (attacks against the Copts). The Egyptian authorities have taken measures to increase security at places of worship in Egypt. You should remember that Egypt has the largest Christian community in the Middle East, and the tradition of mutual respect among religions is solidly anchored there. We have confidence in the authorities and in the various religious communities to preserve calm and continue to keep this tradition alive."

"If there is no positive evolution on the question of his release, it is also because EU heads of state do not speak up with one voice to follow up on human rights violations," declared Watson.

Nour is serving a five-year jail sentence on charges of forging signatures to register his Ghad party.