Dailynewsegypt

Author: Toqa Ezzidin

  • Clinton v Trump: how will the Middle East be affected under a new administration?

    Clinton v Trump: how will the Middle East be affected under a new administration?

    Millions of US citizens turn out on Tuesday to polling stations to vote for the 45th president of the US. The elections will conclude a bitter battle, full of vitriol and hostility, between Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican candidate Donald Trump.

    The months-long debates that were loaded with scandals and mutual accusations have come to an end, with global stocks in a fright and bankers’ eyes wide open as they described Trump’s winning as “catastrophic” to the world’s economy.

    Both candidates have demonstrated clear stances towards the turmoil in the Middle East, amid speculations that Clinton’s policies will not be different from Obama, and a lack of prediction of what Trump is planning to do.

    The candidates meeting Al-Sisi: what it says about their stances on Egypt’s president

    In September, both candidates met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi during his participation in the UN general assembly in New York. During Trump’s meeting with Al-Sisi, they both agreed on the importance of combating terrorism in the region. Following the meeting, Al-Sisi said that Trump would definitely make a strong leader. Similarly, Trump described Al-Sisi as a “fantastic guy”. Al-Sisi was the only Arab, or Muslim, leader Trump met with while he was campaigning.

    On the other hand, in Al-Sisi’s meeting with Clinton, the latter touched upon the deterioration of the human rights situation in Egypt. She brought up the case of Aya Hegazy, an Egyptian-American citizen who has been detained for over two years after she established an organisation called “Beladi” as a rehabilitation programme for street children. Egyptian security forces raided the headquarters of the organisation and arrested Hegazi, along with her husband and other volunteers. Hegazi is facing charges of child trafficking among others.

    Political analyst Saeed Sadek told Daily News Egypt that the possibility of Trump winning the elections is weak; however, Egypt’s interest will be in Trump’s winning the elections.

    Sadek said that Trump is against the Muslim Brotherhood and there was a bill in Egypt that Obama rejected that sought to label the Brotherhood as a terrorist group. He further added that Trump has no strong knowledge of foreign policy, so he will be consulting experts and the possibility of interventions in the Middle East is low.

    On the other hand, Clinton’s policy will be similar to Obama’s; however, she will attempt to be more active than Obama was. Sadek assumed that she may pressure Egypt to bring back the Brotherhood.

    The Islamic State and how the candidates are planning to deal with it

    Islamic State (IS) issued a statement on Monday, calling on its supporters to kill the Americans who vote in the presidential elections. The statement, titled “The Murtadd (Apostate) vote”, read: “We have come to slaughter you and smash your ballot boxes”.

    The two candidates had their say on how they are planning to fight IS. According to Trump, IS is a group of “thugs and terrible people, not masterminds”. He hasn’t specified a plan on how to fight them, saying that it would eliminate the element of surprise. Trump added that he would “bomb the hell” out of IS, saying that it could take about 30,000 US troops to defeat the terrorist group. Trump further threatened that if Clinton wins, IS will take over the US. However, he added that if he wins, he will be “IS’ worst nightmare”. He said in August that he will “aggressively pursue” IS and military operations will be carried out to crush and destroy them.

    Trump further suggested a modification to international law that prohibits the military’s use of torture to deal with terrorists. The Republican candidate previously suggested killing family members of terrorists, but later backtracked from his comments when he came under fire over them. Trump also seems to be giving power to Russia over Syria. He said that it can stabilise the region. Unlike the opposing stance of the US from Russia, Trump said that Russia will be better in carrying out significant changes in the region.

    On the other hand, Clinton has demonstrated a more independent attitude from Russia, as she insisted on the no-fly zone over Syria, which is opposing what Russia is currently doing there as it has carried out several airstrikes that reportedly killed about 4,000 Syrian civilians since May 2015.

    In November 2015, Clinton said that IS should not only be deterred or contained, but rather defeated and destroyed.

    Russia favours Trump over Clinton, as the former has demonstrated a more tolerable attitude towards Russia’s policies. Russian-American bilateral relations have generally been stable following the cold war; however, relations strained significantly in 2014 following Russia’s annexation of Crimea. The tension reached its peak in 2015 when Russia led a military intervention in Syria against anti-Assad groups.

    Professor of political science Hassan Nafaa told Daily News Egypt that most probably Clinton will win the elections, unless any sudden surprises happened last minute. However, Nafaa said that Trump’s visions and strategies will continue even after the elections conclude.

    Nafaa commented that American citizens are now shifting towards right-wing perspectives; there is an obvious increase in racism against Muslims, Latinos, and any minor ethnicity. Regarding the situation in Syria, Nafaa predicted that Clinton’s foreign policy will be an extension of Obama’s policy, but it will depend more on her ability to achieve progress in the Syrian file.

    Mohammad Bassam Al-Malek told Daily News Egypt that neither of the two candidates are good choices, and whoever is going to win, it will be the worst president in the history of the US.

    Al-Malek, however, added that Clinton is the lesser of two evils, and at least she was the secretary of state and she has proper knowledge in foreign policy. He added that to Syrian people, Clinton maintains an important point of view, which is halting aerial bombardments over Syria.

    Al-Malek also said that he is predicting very close results in the elections, noting Arabs generally hope that Clinton wins as Trump has demonstrated a rather defensive attitude towards Muslims and refugees.

    Regarding IS, Al-Malek said that the organisation was originally created by the US, Bashar Al-Assad, and Nouri Al-Maliki, and they won’t be eradicated from the region unless Israel wants for it to happen, due to the very close relations between the US and Israel.

    Israel remains the US’ biggest ally and best friend

    In March, Trump said that when he becomes president of the US, the days of treating Israel as a second class citizen will be over starting from day one. Trump demonstrated a supportive stand towards Israel when he criticised the US nuclear deal with Iran. He called Israel “America’s biggest ally in the region”.

    Although Trump hasn’t delegated a clear position on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, he said that he will remain neutral in any peace talks. These statements have led to concern from Israeli officials, which led Trump to backtrack from such statements of neutrality and comment that it would be hard to be neutral.

    Clinton has adopted a similar stance on Israel. She said that the US and Israel may not have always been able to agree on several issues; however, the US is committed to the security of Israel as a homeland for the Jewish people.

    Abdel-Alim Mohamed, political analyst associated with the Al-Ahram Centre for Strategic Studies, told Daily News Egypt that it doesn’t matter if Trump or Clinton wins, because there is an ongoing, historical agreement between the US and Israel that maintains Israel’s security. The US will continue to provide Israel with financial and military aid.

    He added that the situation of Israel has been the same under the Obama administration, Ronald Reagan, and pretty much any president that ever ruled the US. Mohamed further added that if there is any progress to happen in the Palestinian case, it will only happen if the Palestinians want to make it happen.

    “Mosul battle came days before the elections in favour of Clinton,” says analyst

    Regarding the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, Trump severely criticised this move and said that it destabilised the Middle East. He further claimed that he was against the invasion decision when it happened; however, he received criticism over this claim as he was believed to have no clear stance back then.

    On the other hand, in 2002, Clinton approved of the decision to invade Iraq while she was a senator from New York. She was severely criticised for this decision and has apologised for it profusely. When she visited Iraq as a secretary of state, Clinton slammed the Iraqi national army for failing to provide a secure state for its citizens.

    In November 2015, Clinton said: “As part of that process, we may have to give our own troops advising and training the Iraqis greater freedom of movement and flexibility, including embedding in local units and helping target airstrikes”.

    Abdel Motelleb Al-Nakeeb, an Iraqi journalist and political analyst, told Daily News Egypt the recent battle in Iraq’s city of Mosul came in synchronisation with the US elections in order to motivate people to vote for Clinton, also to show that she is more in charge than Trump.

    Al-Nakeeb also said that IS was created by the US, which supports it financially and with military aid. He added that the Mosul battle was used to strengthen Clinton’s situation in front of her rival Trump.

  • Al-Masry Al-Youm photojournalist released following arrest during fieldwork

    Al-Masry Al-Youm photojournalist released following arrest during fieldwork

    Security forces in Alexandria released Al-Hussein Fouad on Sunday, a photojournalist at the privately-owned Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper, according to head of the television and multimedia section in the newspaper Mohamed Al-Hawary.

    Fouad was arrested early on Saturday while shooting footage about people’s reactions to the increase in public transportation ticket prices following the rise in oil prices.

    Al-Hawary told Daily News Egypt that Fouad was arrested on accusations of inciting protests. He explained that Fouad was surrounded by microbus drivers vying for an opportunity to talk while he was shooting the report as they did not want to be depicted as opportunists who took advantage of the increase in oil prices to increase their ticket prices.

    A lawyer from the Press Syndicate attended the investigations along with a representative from the newspaper. Al-Hawary concluded that the newspaper was informed of the arrest late on Saturday; hence, the measures to assist Fouad were delayed.

    Fouad is not the first photojournalist to be arrested in the course of his work. Photojournalist Mahmoud Abou Zaid, better known as Shawkan, was arrested while covering the violent security dispersal of the Rabaa Al-Adaweya sit-in. The crackdown on journalists has significantly increased following 2013.

     

  • Italy’s public prosecutor arrives in Egypt for updates on Regeni investigations

    Italy’s public prosecutor arrives in Egypt for updates on Regeni investigations

     

     

    Italy’s deputy public prosecutor Sergio Colaiocco arrived in Egypt on Tuesday and met with Egypt’s prosecutor general Nabil Sadek to discuss recent developments in the  investigation into the death of Italian student Giulio Regeni earlier this year in Egypt.

    In an official joint statement that was issued following the meeting, Egypt agreed to provide Italy with documents belonging to Regeni that were found on 24 March. The statement read that these documents were no longer needed by the Egyptian side of the investigation. The belongings included identification cards from Cambridge University and the American University in Cairo, along with Regeni’s other personal effects.

     

    Colaiacco invited Sadek to visit Rome in December to follow up on the investigation,  be updated with any results, and to visit Regeni’s family.

     

    Regeni was a Cambridge scholar conducting a Ph.D research in Cairo on the nature of political and economic developments, and particularly on the conditions of labour unions in Egypt. He disappeared on the fifth anniversary of the 25 January Revolution, according to his friends. On 3 February, his body was found dumped on the side of a road outside Cairo, showing signs of physical torture such as cigarettes burns and bruises.

     

    According to Italy’s news agency ANSA, an Italian MP said that Italy had not voted for Egypt during the secret ballot conducted by United Nations (UN) general assembly for membership of the UN human rights council. He added that Regeni’s case was the reason for the decision. However, Egypt won a seat in the council with 173 votes in its favour. There was international condemnation over Egypt winning a seat due to several nations considering that Egypt was guilty of committing human rights violations.

    In September, a joint statement was issued by both Egyptian and Italian prosecutors, in which Egypt acknowledged for the first time that Regeni had been traced by police for three days in January, prior to his disappearance.

    Bilateral relations between Egypt and Italy have strained over the death of Regeni. In April, Italy recalled its ambassador to Egypt after it announced that Egypt had not fully cooperated with their investigation and had not provided substantial findings. Italy escalated the tension in June and decided to cut military aid to Egypt.

    Before the decision to suspend military aid, the European parliament drafted a non-binding resolution that recommended cuts in military aid to Egypt following Regeni’s death. The parliament attributed the reason to the deteriorating human rights environment in Egypt. The Egyptian parliament issued a statement condemning the resolution, saying that they cannot link the death of Regeni to human rights disputes in Egypt and cited that ongoing investigations have yet to be concluded.

     

  • Egypt shifts from condemnation to support after Saudi Arabia replaces OIC secretary general

    Egypt shifts from condemnation to support after Saudi Arabia replaces OIC secretary general

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Monday Egypt’s support to the new Saudi candidate, Ahmed Al-Othaymeen, for the position of secretary general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), after Eyad Madany filed his resignation.

    The ministry said in a statement that it received a memorandum informing Egypt that Al-Othaymeen, the former Saudi minister of social affairs, is running for the post. Egypt supported the new Saudi candidate in what the Foreign Ministry described as a “very important role Saudi Arabia is playing in the OIC”.

     

    According to the OIC, Madany’s resignation was due to health issues. However, during a ministerial conference in Tunisia on Friday, Madany referred to the Tunisian president Beji Caid Essebsi as Beji Caid Al-Sisi. He immediately backtracked and apologised to the Tunisian president, saying that it was “a big mistake”. He added that he was sure the Tunisian president had more in his refrigerator than just water.

    Madany had referred to earlier statements made by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi during the National Youth Conference, in which he had said that he had had nothing but water in his refrigerator for 10 years and that he had never complained about that.

    Egypt severely condemned Madany’s statements. Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry considered the statement a “severe encroachment” on a state that participated in the establishment of the organisation. Egypt announced that it will reconsider its stance on the organisation if no proper actions were taken against the statements. However, in its statement on Monday, the ministry said that Egypt is looking forward to further cooperation with the organisation.

     

    Political science professor Hassan Nafaa told Daily News Egypt that the reason behind the resignation is Madany’s mockery of Al-Sisi, and any official in an Arab organisation should avoid any comments pertaining to conflicts between countries.

    Nafaa further added that Madany shouldn’t have spoken in the name of Saudi Arabia, adding that it was a good decision from the Saudi government to urge him to resign because this means that the Saudi government is keen to maintain good ties with Egypt.

    “There is obvious tension in the current Egyptian-Saudi relations regarding many issues, including the Syrian and Yemeni turmoil. The problems may go deeper than differences in political stances; however, the two countries are aware that the problems cannot be escalated due to the region’s current situation,” Nafaa concluded.

    Political analyst Atef Ghamry told Daily News Egypt that Madany did not stick to the foreign policy protocols. Even if countries are not on good terms, politicians prefer not to cross certain lines. He said that these statements do not comply with the traditions of Saudi Arabia.

    Ghamry added that Egypt and Saudi Arabia have different political stances, but that they are not in conflict.

    Madany apologised for his statement and said it was a “joke”, adding that he respects Egypt’s leadership represented in Al-Sisi. He also praised the National Youth Conference that was held in Sharm El-Sheikh last week and said that it used new methods to communicate with youth.

     

    Following Madany’s resignation, Saudi and Egyptian media figures and activists took to Twitter to comment on the decision. Saudi TV host Gamal Khashoggi said that Saudi has “lost a knight who had served his state and people”. He praised his role in reviving the role of the organisation on an international level.

    Emirati professor of political science Abdul Khaleq Abdullah said that Madany apologised for his comment, but he paid for it by resigning. Egyptian TV host Moataz Abdel Fattah said during an interview that resignation was a normal punishment for the crime he had committed, namely insulting Al-Sisi.

    TV host Khairy Ramadan said that the resignation decision should be respected as it prevents any clashes between the two countries.

    Prominent Saudi writer Khaled Al-Alklamy criticised Saudi people who condemned Madany’s comments, saying that they have forgotten that in Egypt the media repeatedly attacked Saudi Arabia.

     

    Saudi social media users launched a campaign on Twitter titled “Thanks Eyad Madany”. They defended him by saying that he was the only one who exposed Al-Sisi and said something true. Conversely, Egyptian users praised the resignation decision and considered it a victory of Egypt’s foreign policy.

     

    In a TV interview, political analyst Mostafa Al-Fekki said that Saudi people prefer “morals” rather than “mockery”, adding that Madany’s remarks may have put an end to his political career.

    Saudi-Egyptian relations were publicly shown to be strained when Egypt voted in favour of the Russian resolution regarding Syria in the United Nations security council. Saudi’s envoy to the UN said that Egypt’s voting was “painful”, particularly as Saudi Arabia is supporting the opposition in Syria, while Russia supports Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad.

     

  • Egypt commemorates Russian plane crash after 1 year amid promises of direct flights resuming

    Egypt commemorates Russian plane crash after 1 year amid promises of direct flights resuming

    Egypt commemorated the Russian plane crash, which happened one year ago on Sunday in a ceremony organised by Sharm El-Sheikh governorate at Salam square. The ceremony was attended by Minister of Civil Aviation Sherif Fathy and the Russian ambassador to Egypt.

    The Russian ambassador said that Russia felt Egyptians’ compassion with the Russian victims from the very first moments of the crash. He also said he hopes that direct flights will be resumed soon.

    Although the crash did not have a significantly negative impact on Egyptian-Russian relations, direct flights from Russia to Egypt were suspended in the wake of the incident, and despite many speculations and statements that the flights may resume soon, no fixed date has been set. The latest statements from Russia said that the direct flights may return by the end of 2016 or at the beginning of 2017.

    Aftermath of the crash and unfulfilled promises to resume direct flights

    On 31 October 2015, Egyptian Air Traffic Control announced that it lost contact with the Russian plane that took off from Sharm El-Sheikh en route to St Petersburg.

    Twenty-three minutes after it took off, the plane crashed in Sinai Peninsula, with officials saying that all 224 passengers and crew members on board were killed.

    Following the crash, the Kremlin issued a statement in which Russian president Vladimir Putin declared 1 November a day of mourning.

    An investigative commission from Egypt began looking into the plane crash. The Russian transportation minister announced that Russia would cooperate alongside Egypt in the investigations; several countries offered assistance as well.

    It was revealed that the pilot had not called for assistance from Air Traffic Control and the possibility of engine failure was dismissed.

    Following speculations that the crash was a result of a terrorist act, the Russian minister said the cause of this catastrophe could only be discussed after an international investigation has been conducted.

    The Russian emergencies ministry then announced that a working group had set a plan for operations at the site of the tragedy. Egypt’s Tourism Ministry announced its readiness to assist in expatriating the victims to Russia.

    A representative of the Russian Federal Centre for Forensic Medicine said that the examination of the remains will be carried out in Russia and Egypt will only be responsible for collecting them.

    The Russian minister of transportation announced that Russia and Egypt had reached a mutual understanding on conducting an investigation into the crash incident.

    A day after the crash, the Red Sea governor told Russian news agency Sputnik that the incident would not affect the tourism sector; however, tourism to Egypt had already been suffering since the 25 January Revolution in 2011 and further deteriorated following the crash.

    Two days following the crash, the Kremlin spokesperson said that it was too early to identify the cause of crash, but the possibility of a terrorist act cannot be ruled out.

    American global intelligence company Stratfor suggested on 2 November 2015 that an explosion from inside the plane might have caused the crash. It was the first to announce a reason behind the crash.

    Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi ruled out the possibility that the Islamic State may have taken down the plane, despite the fact that they claimed responsibility for the crash. The president dismissed this as propaganda aiming to damage the stability and security of Egypt.

    The United Kingdom (UK), which participated in the investigations, suspended direct flights to and from Sharm El-Sheikh, a decision which Egypt’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry described as “premature”. Several other international airlines suspended their flights, particularly those with routes over the Sinai peninsula.

    Egypt had started to tighten its security measures at airports, and informed Russia of this; however, on 6 November 2015, Putin agreed to suspend all flights to Egypt starting 14 November 2015.

    On 11 November 2015, Al-Sisi, as quoted by Al-Ahram, said that Egypt will not rush the investigations into the crash and will hide nothing. One year later, Egypt has still not officially released a statement clarifying the reasons behind the crash.

    On 17 November 2015, the head of Russia’s security service confirmed that the plane was taken down by an explosive device. Putin vowed to punish those who caused the crash. Egypt has still not confirmed or denied this claim.

    In January, talks regarding the resumption of direct flights began when Russia sent Egypt guidelines for aviation safety, and a Russian parliament member told reporters in Cairo that flights may soon be resumed.

    Egypt announced several times that it has implemented all the required security measures demanded by Russia. In spite of this, in March, an EgyptAir plane en route from Alexandria to Cairo was hijacked and the pilot was forced to fly to Cyprus instead. The hijacker was not a terrorist, and was not carrying any explosives, but rather was motivated by personal reasons; however, this incident caused demands for security measures to be further enhanced.

    Sputnik said on Thursday that a preliminary report on the plane crash will be issued within 60 days, amid promises from the Russian side that the flights will soon be resumed.

    Egyptian-Russian ties have been fostered over the past few years following the signing of military and commercial agreements. Also, joint military drills between Russia and Egypt were held in Egypt earlier this month.

     

  • Interview with Hesham Geneina banned from airing on TV, reasons unknown

    Interview with Hesham Geneina banned from airing on TV, reasons unknown

    The first episode of a show by TV presenter Moataz Al-Demerdash that was scheduled to air on the privately-owned channel Al-Mehwar on Saturday was banned from broadcast. The episode was supposed to feature an interview with former top auditor Hesham Geneina.

    Al-Demerdash recently terminated his contract with the privately-owned MBC Masr, and moved to Al-Mehwar to present the talk show “90 Minutes”. The first episode was set to air an interview with Geneina, who was dismissed by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi earlier this year.

     

    According to a source in Al-Mehwar who spoke to Daily News Egypt on condition of anonymity, the interview with Geneina was “calm” and presents nothing unusual. He added that the decision to ban the episode came from a sovereign authority.

     

    The source further continued that Al-Demerdash demanded to know the real reason behind the ban if he is to return to presenting the talk show.

    The source concluded by saying that Al-Demerdash will not resign, and the second episode of the programme, in which he interviews football trainer Hossam Hassan, will be aired on Monday or the following Saturday. However, he said that negotiations are taking place over whether to air Geneina’s interview on Sunday.

     

    Conversely, another source from Al-Mehwar who also spoke to Daily News Egypt on condition of anonymity said that the ban was decided upon by the channel’s administration and Al-Demerdash has not officially resigned.

    The source also denied that the ban was issued by a sovereign authority and said the ban was the result of apprehension towards discussing Geneina’s case while it is still in court.

    The source continued that current political circumstances were taken into consideration, and noted that the decision to ban the episode was a collective choice between the programme’s staff and administration.

    Al-Demerdash previously worked for Al-Mehwar five years ago when the 25 January Revolution broke out; however, his resignation was thought to be as a result of the difference in viewpoints between Al-Demerdash and the TV channel regarding the revolution. He then moved to the privately-owned Al-Hayah TV channel, followed by MBC Masr, and recently announced that he would sign a contract with Al-Mehwar.

     

    Geneina, who is the former head of the Central Auditing Organisation, was sacked from his position by Al-Sisi in March 2016. In July 2015, Al-Sisi issued a decree giving him the power to dismiss, appoint, and replace heads of regulatory bodies. This decree contradicted the constitution stipulating that these bodies are independent from the state’s executive bodies.

    Geneina faces charges of spreading false information and disrupting security and public order, after he claimed that public funds amounting to EGP 600bn were wasted in 2015 as a result of corruption.

     

     

  • Egypt, Saudi Arabia’s love-hate relationship begins to surface

    Egypt, Saudi Arabia’s love-hate relationship begins to surface

    Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Friday about the “regrettable attitude” of the secretary general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) who mocked President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi on Friday during a conference in Tunisia.

    At the opening of his speech, secretary general Eyad Madany, a Saudi diplomat, referred to the Tunisian president Beji Caid Essebsi as “Beji Caid Al-Sisi” but then immediately backtracked, apologising for what he described as a “big mistake”. He went on to say that he is sure that the refrigerator of Essebsi includes more than just water.

    This is in references to Al-Sisi’s statement earlier last week during the National Conference of Youth, in which he said that he had spent 10 years of his life with only water in his refrigerator without complaining. The president’s remark roused sarcastic comments from Egyptians, particularly as Al-Sisi then went on to contradict his statement by saying that he was from a privileged family.

    In the statement, Egypt’s Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abou Zaid said that Egypt has assigned its envoy to the OIC to file a note of protest in opposition to the statements of its secretary general.

    Abou Zaid continued that Egypt was informed that the secretary general apologised for his statements, and Egypt will follow up with the OIC to specify the required measures to modify the path.

    Madany reportedly apologised in a statement for his comments and said that he said this as a joke, and did not mean to insult the Egyptian leadership represented in Al-Sisi. The statement assured that Madany respects Al-Sisi as the latter is leading an esteemed Arab country. He concluded his statement by praising the National Conference of Youth, saying that it represents a new path that gathers both leadership and young people to tackle important issues.

    Meanwhile on Friday, Egypt strongly condemned the missile attack that was fired by the Houthi group in Yemen and targeted Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The statement released by the Foreign Affairs Ministry said that this attack is an unacceptable instance and belittlement of holy Islamic places and the souls of innocent civilians, which cannot be ignored.

    The statement concluded saying that Egypt is fully supporting Saudi Arabia and its steady stance in supporting legitimacy in Yemen.

    Tension erupted between Saudi Arabia and Egypt earlier this month when the latter voted in favour of the Russian draft resolution in the United Nations security council regarding a peace solution in Syria. While Saudi Arabia and the United States are backing the opposition in Syria, Russia is supporting Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad’s regime and has executed several airstrikes in Syria. Egypt hasn’t announced its clear stance towards the Syrian issue; however, it reportedly received a delegation from Al-Assad’s regime earlier this month. Also, it supported Russia in the United Nations security council which is accused of executing war crimes in Syria. Officials from Egypt and Saudi Arabia deny any tension between the two countries.

    The relations between the two countries have flourished in April following the Saudi king’s visit to Egypt, during which the maritime border demarcation deal was signed. The deal stipulates the transfer of the sovereignty of Red Sea islands Tiran and Sanafir from Egypt to Saudi Arabia.

     

  • Russia pushed out while Egypt wins a seat on UN human rights council despite violations

    Russia pushed out while Egypt wins a seat on UN human rights council despite violations

    Egypt won a seat on the United Nations human rights council on Friday for the period from 2017 to 2020, after it received 173 votes during the general assembly.

    Following a secret ballot conducted in the Geneva-based council which is responsible for promoting human rights around the globe, Egypt managed to secure a seat along with 13 other newly-elected members. The 47 members in the United Nations human rights council are responsible for enhancing the promotion of human rights principles, observing human rights violations, and making recommendations.

    The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement early on Saturday, saying that the number of votes Egypt received was among the highest, as it received 173 votes, while the United States (US) received 175 votes, the UK 173, and Japan 177.

    Spokesperson for the ministry Ahmed Abou Zaid said that Egypt’s presence in the United Nations human rights council, along with its membership in the UN security council and its membership in the African Union Peace and Security Council, reflects the trust of other countries on the international level, its pioneering role in promoting peace and security in Africa, and its respect to the UN declaration on the international level.

    Abou Zaid further added that Egypt’s membership in the council is confirmation of the international endorsement of its political path which is taking steady steps towards building a modern civilian state that promotes human rights principles and the sovereignty of law and democracy, while being undeterred by the tough circumstances in the region.

    The spokesperson also said that Egypt praises all the states that voted in its favour, stressing that Egypt will work with its fellow members to develop the international human rights organisation and make it inclusive and not only restricted to civil and political rights, but also to social and economic rights.

    Abou Zaid concluded his statement by saying that Egypt’s membership will be a turning point in its efforts to put an end to the mounting humanitarian struggle that resulted from unrest in the Middle East and Africa.

    Blind eyes turned to Egypt and Saudi Arabia’s violations

    Egypt and Saudi Arabia, both elected as members in the United Nations human rights council on Friday, are continuously subjected to condemnations over human rights violations; however, both saw a smooth victory in winning seats on the council.

     

    Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused Saudi Arabia of arbitrary arrests of peaceful dissidents and convicting them. Also, dozens of human rights defenders and political activists are serving long-term prison sentences. In January, the kingdom executed 47 people in one day over charges related to terrorism, including Shi’a cleric Nimr Al-Nimr.

    On the international day against death sentences, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon said that in many countries, besides its inefficiency, the alleged war against terrorism leads to severe violations of human rights.

    Saudi Arabia is also severely criticised over its war crimes in Yemen, in the war against the Houthi rebels. It unlawfully bombed civilians in its nine-nation military-led coalition. According to the United Nations, since Saudi Arabia started its military operations in Yemen in May 2015, about 4,000 Yemeni civilians have died as a result.

    Egypt has not escaped the flow of accusations regarding human rights violations either. According to HRW, Egypt has effectively banned protests and has sentenced hundreds to death following unfair mass trials. Egypt is also accused of killing an unknown number of civilians while attempting to combat terrorism in the Sinai peninsula.

    Besides its crackdown on dissent, several prisoners are reported to have been tortured in prison, which is compounded by the unlawful detention of prisoners—exceeding two years in remand which violates Egypt’s penal code. HRW has also documented several cases of enforced disappearance in Egypt.

    Amid these repeated accusations that Egypt receives from national and international rights organisations, government officials still insist that Egypt adheres to the principles of human rights and diminishes any documented, obvious, and undeniable violation as an “individual case”.

    Tables turn against Russia over war crimes in Syria

    During the voting session, Russia lost its seat in the United Nations human rights council as a result of the war crimes it committed in Syria. Diplomats and human rights organisations described Russia’s exit from the UNHRC as “historic”, according to Russia Today news outlet.

    UN envoy Vitaly Churkin told reporters, following the vote removing Russia from the council, that it was competing with very good countries: Croatia and Hungary; however, Churkin added, they are not exposed to “the winds of international diplomacy” while Russia is very exposed.

    He said: “Next time, we will stand our ground and get back in.”

    Russia has received condemnation over its airstrikes in Aleppo, Syria, which have reportedly resulted in the death of thousands of civilians. Earlier this month, Russia’s draft resolution on a peaceful solution in Syria in the security council failed to be adopted, after it was vetoed. The draft resolution tackled similar key points to the French resolution (though the Russian one did not include halting airstrikes and aerial bombardments over Syria), but this also failed to be adopted as it was vetoed as well.

    Egypt was chosen from among the African group and Saudi Arabia from among the Asian group in the voting. The countries are eligible to run for two consecutive three-year terms.

    Other countries that were elected on Friday were the US, the United Kingdom, Japan, Brazil, Croatia, China, Cuba, and South Africa.

     

  • Ambassador to London refutes Guardian claims on Egypt’s vote in UN security council

    Ambassador to London refutes Guardian claims on Egypt’s vote in UN security council

    Egypt’s ambassador to London Nasser Kamel sent a letter to British newspaper The Guardian in response to an article published on 20 October pertaining to Egypt’s vote in the United Nations security council, state-owned media said Sunday.

    On 8 October, Egypt voted on two different resolutions for a peace solution in Syria. The first was filed by France and the other by Russia; however, both draft resolutions failed to be adopted by the security council as they were vetoed. Following the vote, Egypt’s envoy to the UN security council Amr Aboul Atta said that the two resolutions covered key points that will lead to a ceasefire in Syria.

    In the letter by Kamel to The Guardian, he said that their article included false information regarding Egypt’s vote. The Guardian wrote: “Egypt shocked its financial backer Saudi Arabia by voting with the Russians to block a French UN security council draft resolution on Syria.”

    However, Kamel said that Egypt did not vote against the French revolution, but rather voted in favour of the two resolutions owing to their coverage of key points.

    Kamel also said in his letter that The Guardian claimed Saudi oil company Aramco halted its oil supply to Egypt in light of its vote for the Russian resolution. Kamel countered this by saying that Aramco’s decision came before Egypt voted in the security council.

    The Guardian wrote regarding Aramco’s decision: “The next day [following the vote] Riyadh suspended its oil aid to Egypt—estimated at 700,000 tonnes of petroleum products every month.”

    Kamel concluded his letter by saying that he hopes the British newspaper will take the points he mentioned into consideration if it wishes to change its biased approach in covering events pertaining to Egypt. He also said that he hopes it publishes his letter in a show of transparency.

    Egypt’s vote in the UN security council in favour of the Russian resolution stirred controversy as the latter is known for its supportive stance towards Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad. Russia, moreover, carried out airstrikes in Syria’s city of Aleppo, reportedly resulting in thousands of deaths among civilians.

  • Foreign Minister denies tension with Saudi Arabia following Egypt’s vote in UN security council

    Foreign Minister denies tension with Saudi Arabia following Egypt’s vote in UN security council

    Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel held a press conference on Saturday following a meeting together, where Shoukry addressed rumours of tension between Egypt and Saudi Arabia following the UN security council vote on peace resolutions for Syria.

    In the first official comment following Egypt’s vote for the Russian resolution, Shoukry denied that there is any tension between Egypt and Saudi Arabia. He said that the cooperation is ongoing between the two countries.

    Earlier this month, Egypt voted in favour of two different resolutions for a peaceful solution to the conflict in Syria. The first was filed by France and was backed by Spain and the other was filed by Russia—both were vetoed and failed to be adopted by the security council.

    There is a common concern from both Egypt and Spain regarding the ongoing turmoil in Syria, Manuel said, putting an emphasis on the access of humanitarian aid to the Syrian people. Manuel added that Egypt and Spain are working on a common resolution to be filed to the UN security council, in place of those that failed to be adopted.

    Shoukry added that Egypt, Spain, and New Zealand are deeply involved in humanitarian-related issues of the security council and, according to this responsibility, they will file a common resolution based on humanitarian access to Syria and the challenges facing the Syrian people.

    Shoukry added that this resolution will also include key points regarding peace in Syria, including ceasefires and the necessity of a common solution between the political factions.

    During the conference , Shoukry did not discuss the major difference between the French and Russian resolutions filed to the UN security council: halting airstrikes.

    The French resolution included the halt of military flights and airstrikes in Syria, whereas Russia’s resolution did not include this clause. However, Manuel mentioned the importance of halting military flights in Syria.

    The two ministers started the conference by saying that Egypt and Spain have a common responsibility in that they are both members of the UN security council.

    They also said that the two countries share a common vision regarding several regional issues, including terrorism and illegal migration. The ministers have shared assessments on the ongoing turmoil in Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Mosul in Iraq.

    Manuel said that Egyptian-Spanish bilateral relations have thrived. There is common cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the fields of preventing illegal migration and counter-terrorism. According to Manuel, Spain’s minister of agriculture will soon visit Egypt to establish common projects.

    Concerning the refugee crisis, Manuel said that the number of refugees have outnumbered the number in the second world war. He said that Spain and other European Union countries have received their share of refugees, and there is no agreement between Spain and Egypt to support refugees. Shoukry said that refugees are not a “burden” but rather a responsibility.

    President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi also met with Manuel on Saturday and discussed ways of enhancing bilateral relations, cooperation between the two countries, and several regional issues.