On Connecting Ashton’s Visit to Egyptian Affairs

Those monitoring political developments are skeptical about the visits of High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy [for the EU] Catherine Ashton to Cairo, which have almost become a regular occurrence. Usually, Ashton’s visits are connected to Egyptian political developments seen by some as being of interest to the European Union, developments that prompt Ashton to pack her bags and go Cairo to discuss them.

It is generally clear that Ashton is interested in closely monitoring Egyptian political developments and the process of the presidential election and subsequent general elections. But occasionally, some writers and commentators on the airwaves connect the visits to one of Egypt's private affairs, stressing that Ashton only came to Cairo to discuss that specific issue! The latest of those issues is the confirmation of the previous ruling that sentenced three members of the April 6 [Youth] Movement to prison, and the additional fines imposed. But in a private statement to our colleague, al-Wafd Correspondent Sahar Daya’ al-Din, Ambassador Badr Abdel-Atti, the official spokesperson for Egypt’s Foreign Ministry, rushed to deny that the meeting between Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmi and Ashton during her latest visit to Egypt touched upon the three activits’ case and that she had requested their release. This denial blocked commenters from unreservedly connecting Ashton’s visit to the imprisonment of the three activists. What was confirmed in Ambassador Badr Abdel-Atti’s denial is that the Ashton-Fahmi meeting dealt with the European Union’s following of the presidential elections and Egypt’s implementation of the road map. At the meeting was also discussed the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, indicating that there is European communication on this matter, and bilateral financial and economic relations between Egypt and the European Union.

As for the issue of the three activists’ imprisonment, it is now entirely in the hands of the Egyptian judiciary. Intent on tying it to the case, some of those commenting on the Ashton visit have said that she requested that President Adly Mansour pardon the three activists! Yet the president is not known to have intervened in matters concerning the Egyptian judiciary (whether it be in the cases it examines or the rulings it issues, on all levels of litigation) throughout his whole presidency — not even in the famous ruling to execute more than 500 people accused of involvement in a Brotherhood plot. Some tried to involve the president in this issue, relying on the astonishment toward and condemnation of the ruling both inside and outside Egypt! But as we know, the ruling awaits the decision of the Grand Mufti, to whom it has been referred, although he has indicated that the Dar al-Ifta’s decision on the ruling is thus far a secret.

Some have started to get accustomed to connecting Catherine Ashton’s back-and-forth visits to Egypt with [the country’s] domestic affairs because the European Union closely monitors Egyptian affairs. That was also the case for American Secretary of State John Kerry, who has at times repeatedly visited Egypt. Some began to think that Kerry is trying to achieve reconciliation between the terrorist group and the Egyptian political regime! This was denied by many Egyptian officials, and the idea of any reconciliation received widespread condemnation from Egyptian political powers of all persuasions. That door had been shut completely and there was no longer anyone able to continue striving to realize the idea! Those who announced that they were taking political initiatives in that direction were attacked.

Thus, we should not always connect some developments happening in Egypt to the visits of foreign politicians to Cairo!