(AFP Photo)
Egyptians diplomats have met with Ghanaian, Nigerian, Liberian, Togolese and Sierra Leonean officials as part of a tour to inform African leaders about the political situation in Egypt.
The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a Monday statement that these meetings started last week and that more meetings are scheduled to be held.
Mona Omar, special envoy to President Adly Mansour, is touring East Africa and met with Ethiopian prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn Tuesday and delivered a hand written letter by Mansour on the current developments in Egypt, state-run MENA reported. Omar expressed Egypt’s rejection to the African Union’s (AU) decision to suspend Egypt from union activities.
Omar earlier met with Chairperson of the AU Commission Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma in Ethiopia on Monday and discussed Egypt’s position on the suspension.
Zuma formed an African Union High Level Panel on Egypt, consisting of Chair Alpha Oumar Konaré, former President of the Republic of Mali; Festus Gontebanye Mogae, former President of the Republic of Botswana; Dileita Mohamed Dileita, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Djibouti, and a group of experts as assistants.
The panel is expected to travel to Egypt soon and to brief the AU’s Peace and Security Council.
Egypt was suspended from all African Union activities by the Peace and Security Council on 5 July, just days after the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi.
The Peace and Security Council said the way Morsi was removed from power “falls under the definition of an unconstitutional change of government,” and that Egypt would be suspended until the restoration of constitutional order.
The foreign ministry’s tour to Africa aims to inform African leaders on the situation in Egypt after “the 30 June Revolution,” which the foreign ministry says came as a “reflection of the design of the Egyptian people.”
The diplomats discussed with the African leaders the progress being made following the 3 July roadmap: a constitutional declaration with timelines governing a constitutional referendum and elections, and forming a government of national competencies.
They also told African officials that the decision to “suspend Egypt is based on conventions that do not apply in Egypt’s case,” the foreign ministry said.
Special Envoy Raouf Saad has met with Ghanaian President John Mahama, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, President of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and her vice president Joseph Boakai, as well as the Vice-President of Sierra Leone Sam Sumana and Togolese Foreign Minister Elliot Ohin, while Special Envoy Nehad Abdel-Latif is touring West Africa.
