Egypt slams US over report

CAIRO – Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Abul Gheit lashed out at Washington on Saturday over its annual human rights report, which was critical of the situation in Egypt.

“The state department’s report and its allegations over the human rights situation in Egypt are inappropriate, since the United Nations (UN) has not given any state the right to be the guardian of the rights situation in the world,” he told reporters. “Those who wrote the report have no idea about objective realities in the countries mentioned,” said Abul Gheit, adding that the document is based on “imprecise and incomplete information”.”The report overlooks the numerous recent positive developments in the field of human rights that have taken place in Egypt,” he said.The minister, whose country receives $1,8bn in US aid a year, underlined the “importance of US-Egyptian relations” and identical views over the key principals of human rights.He admitted, however, that there were occasionally differences of opinion over the application of these principles.Relations between the two countries were strained by the imprisonment in 2005 of opposition politician Ayman Nur and by US insistence on greater political openness in Egypt.Nampa-AFP”Those who wrote the report have no idea about objective realities in the countries mentioned,” said Abul Gheit, adding that the document is based on “imprecise and incomplete information”.”The report overlooks the numerous recent positive developments in the field of human rights that have taken place in Egypt,” he said.The minister, whose country receives $1,8bn in US aid a year, underlined the “importance of US-Egyptian relations” and identical views over the key principals of human rights.He admitted, however, that there were occasionally differences of opinion over the application of these principles.Relations between the two countries were strained by the imprisonment in 2005 of opposition politician Ayman Nur and by US insistence on greater political openness in Egypt.Nampa-AFP