Egypt FM to Echorouk: “Respect the Egyptian People's Choice and Wishes”

Egyptian Foreign Minister, Nabil Fahmy, explained in this exclusive interview with the daily newspaper Echorouk, the motives of his visit conducted by today to Algeria, and reveals part of the agenda to be discussed with his counterpart Ramtane Lamamra, at a time the Egyptian street is witnessing significant turmoil, especially after the classification of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group, and reporting the news globally, and the subsequent noisy demonstrations which killed dozens of Egyptians which intensified the conflict between supporters and opponents of the military coup.With regard to the recent statements of the Algerian Foreign Minister, Ramtane Lamamra, Nabil Fahmy said; “My statesmanship and wisdom of acting are clear. As for the votes which criticize my visit to Algeria, by saying that i am a non grata persona is the Egyptian citizens’ opinion in Egypt and abroad”.

*What is the framework of your first visit to Algeria, and what is its aim for both parties?

-My visit to Algeria sister comes within the framework of an established plan that was announced during a press conference on my third working day as a Foreign Minister, and it include three-axis, which focused on the compassing the Egyptian foreign policy on its natural location with its Arab identity and roots in Africa, as well as dealing with urgent regional and international issues of in this context.

It is natural and is even our duty to consult with brotherly and friendly countries such as Algeria, which have common interests in the Arab world and in Africa, but also at the international level, and many issues of common concern such restructuring the international and contemporary systems, in light of the regional changes and issues, including the peace process in the Middle East, the situation in Syria , and different African issues, for example what we saw in Mali, central Africa , and Southern Sudan and other issues, as well as other topics of common interest such as the borders with Libya, and bilateral relationships, economic and social ties between the two countries and peoples.

We believe in this context, that Egypt’s consultation with Algeria in all these cases, supports the Egyptian position, and also supports the Algerian position because of the similarity of our view of the strategy of the world and international relationships, and because Egypt is interested in all the influential Arab and African countries that are naturally active and effective in the regional and international issued.

*Some parties think that the visit aims to discuss the new power in Egypt which is searching for the legitimacy after what happened on June 30?

-Transitional government in Egypt came in response to the popular demand, and in implementation of the road map, in which people participated and which was adopted by different classes of society, and that after millions of Egyptians went down to public squares, demanding urgent presidential elections, to express the rejection of the attempt to impose the single ideology on the Egyptian society.

Second important step in the road map will be a referendum on the constitution on the current 14 and 15 Jan, followed successively and until mid-year by parliamentary and presidential elections in order, and that will determine within a few days the current government’s only decision maker which is the Egyptian people, in accordance with the laws of Egypt. 

I came to Algeria within the framework of a constructive working visit to discuss the international, regional and bilateral issues, although it was only natural, given the size and weight of Egypt, to explain to the brothers in Algeria, what is going on in my country, if asked about it, and to hear, despite the specificity of each case, to their experiences as they listened to our experiences in the past, as we were have been also subjected to violence and terrorism before.

*Do you think that the recent statements of the Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra, serve as an Algerian formal recognition of the new power in Egypt?

-I respect the minister Ramtane Lamamra, as well as he is a friend and colleague for a long time, as he has a clear political experience, and wisdom to act and talk.

*Egypt still faces the problem of membership in the African Union, which believes that the new power is a coup authority, how would you deal with this issue?

– In fact, your description of the African Union’s decision is not accurate, as the word authority coup was not used, and our membership in the African Union was not discuss, however we have seen that the African Union rushed in taking its decision to freeze our participation in its meetings in application of the standards which does not belong to the situation, and despite all that our Africans origins make us deal with our African brothers positively, and we will continue our aim to clarify matters, because the absence of Egypt from the African Union does not mean absence from Africa, as I paid many visits to African countries despite I had a lot of work in the past six months. we hope the African Peace and Security Council will consideration its decision without a delay, because it an abnormal situation for us and for the AU as well.

*There were civil and political events which preceded your visit, and I personally considered you a non grata persona. How would you see that? What’s your comment?

-In Egypt we seek to build a modern democratic state that where the opinion and the other opinion are respected, and then I do not wonder about the right of any party to express an opinion in principle, but I think that everyone who works in the public political arena has a responsibility towards his people, and has to deal with all issues objectively, and on the basis of correct information, then when adopting the principles of democracy we must understand that the first of these principles is to respect the voice of the Egyptian people and its desires, and the parties outside the country that are not Egyptians have no role in this.

*You described the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, and you raised a memorandum in this regard to the Arab League, what do you expect from Algeria in this matter?

-We notified the Egyptian government’s decision that the Muslim Brotherhood is a terrorist organization according to the criminal law of Egypt, from the premise that there is an Arab agreement about the fight against terrorism, in which the majority of Arab countries are members, to implement the responsibilities under the Convention, and we expect the member states, which is Egypt’s sovereign decision, to adhere to the Convention.

*Is it expected to ask Algeria to prevent the reception of members in the World Brotherhood Organization by parties of the Muslim Brotherhood in Algeria?

-As I said, the action that was taken from Egypt to the Arab League came in accordance with the Counter-terrorism Arab Convention, and our collective Arab move came in this framework.