CAIRO: Over 50 MPs delivered angry statements to the government at the People’s Assembly Tuesday, demanding a full and swift investigation into why a US chartered ship opened fire on an Egyptian vessel, killing one man and injuring two others.
The throng of statements was led by Abbas Abdel Aziz Abbas, Muslim Brotherhood MP for the Suez constituency, Araba’.
Abbas told Daily News Egypt, “There was great anger at the PA as we delivered our statements, demanding an urgent investigation and that the US ship, the ‘Global Patriot’ should be held in custody. At that time the ship was still in Port Said, and could have been kept it in the port for investigative purposes. Now it is no doubt somewhere in the Mediterranean.
The boat carrying the victim was not seeking to attack the American vessel, he continued, but was making its way home.
“Those who released the firing shots must be brought to justice. I realize that the American ambassador made an official apology to the Egyptian people last night, but an apology is not enough. A full investigation must be held, not only for the sake of justice, but to ensure that this never happens again, said Abbas.
“If this was an Egyptian ship in American waters that had shot and killed an American citizen, by mistake or otherwise, what would America do?
“I hope that the government has enough respect for the dignity and worth of the Egyptian people to act on this matter.
However, Abbas is not optimistic that the government will see through a full investigation. “Mufid Shehab Eldin, the minister for legal and parliamentary affairs, made a statement to parliament yesterday which was faithful to the American version of events, saying that the ‘Global Patriot’ fired warning shots while the Egyptian boat continued to advance.
MP Saad El-Din Mohamed Khalifa Saad, who also represents a Suez constituency, told Daily News Egypt, “I know this region extremely well, as I work at the Suez Canal Shipping Agency. The Bambout traders, who sell cigarettes and fresh water to trading vessels, have permission from the authorities to trade in the area. When a military ship approaches, they know that it is forbidden to approach them. No one is allowed near them, and even cars are forbidden from driving alongside them on land. The Egyptian security is always very careful about this.
However this boat, although it did carry weapons for trading, was not clearly marked as a warship. In addition, the traders were making their way home at the time and were not making their way to sell goods on the ship when the attack occurred.
According to Saad, the ships can only be let out of Port Said in a convoy at 6 am. The “Global Patriot had entered the port to join the convoy when the traders were still doing business.
“I was just at the funeral of Mohamed, the victim, and met with traders of other boats in the vicinity who witnessed the incident. They didn’t see any warning flares. If there were verbal warnings from loud speakers it is unlikely, in a wide open space which swallows up sound, that they would have been heard, especially when they were over 200 meters away from the ship.
“What is more, aren’t these people aboard trained soldiers, who have experience shooting and handling weapons?
“The young man who was killed was poor, and had no other source of income. This behavior is another example of the type of intimidation and bullying seen in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Saad.
The victim, Mohamed Fouad Afify, 30, was aboard one of the trading barges which often sell goods to ships passing through the Suez Canal.
According to sources, it is common procedure for ships to open fire at approaching barges as warning shots. The US have followed a strict line with approaching vessels since the 2000 suicide attack on the USS Cole in Yemen which killed 17 marines.
The MPs’ demands came as high level talks were being conducted between Egyptian officials at a senior level.
After an admission that one man was killed in the incident, American Ambassador Francis Ricciardone delivered a statement of apology on Tuesday evening’s news programs, including “El-Beit Beitak and Amr Adib’s “Al-Qahira Al-Youm show on Orbit.
The US embassy also released a statement today expressing its “deepest condolences for the family of the deceased . However, it reiterated that “the boats were hailed and warned by a native Arabic speaker using a bullhorn to warn them away … a warning flare was then fired … one small boat continued to approach … and received two sets of warning shots.
The Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman, Hossam Zaky, is currently out of Cairo and unavailable for comment.
