A delegation of former Egyptian parliamentarians met with several Western officials in Belgium to help find a solution to the political crisis between Islamists and the current interim government led by General Abdel Fatah el-Sisi.
The Egyptian delegation headed on Sunday to Belgium for a two-day visit to the Belgian parliament and the European Union.
It included each of the former MPs Ahsraf Thabet, member of Nour Party’s presidential council, Mohamed abdel Aleem, Wafd Party figure, Mohamed Anwar al-Sadat, parliament’s human rights committee former chief, Mohamed Tosson, Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) figure.
Thabet said they have been invited since before the start of parliamentary sessions.
Informed sources said Tosson argued to the EU officials that negotiation with the current authority has no value in light of the ongoing oppression as authorities in Egypt commit violations and lauch random campaigns against Brotherhood figures.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the sources said that EU officials are trying to convince the Brotherhood figures during the visits to negotiate with official authority and accept the fact that ex-President Mohamed Morsy was ousted.
EU bears the costs of the visit, Thabet told Al-Masry Al-Youm, adding that the party abides by non-interventionalist values regarding Egyptian local affairs. He also said that party welcomes similar visits in order to exchange points of view and expertise. It will not incite the West against the roadmap, however, they will ponder consequences of the political crisis.
Steven Clemons, director of the New America Foundation, a think tank close to administration of US President Barack Obama, said EU’s influence to resolve the Egyptian problem is growing, while Obama’s administration influence is declining. He stressed that EU is the one who has the power to mediate between the group and authority.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
