Egypt – Addressing the new Foreign Minister: CIHRS calls for respect of human rights and an end to supporting dictatorships | 29\/06\/2011<\/p>\n
Addressing the new Foreign Minister:
\nCIHRS calls for respect of human rights and an end to supporting dictatorships and continued commitment to join the International Criminal Court<\/p>\n
The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) is closely monitoring developments after Mohamed al-Urabi was appointed to replace Nabil al-Arabi as Foreign Minister, hoping that Egypt\u2019s foreign policies will evolve in the coming period to be more in keeping with the new reality following the January 25 revolution and that they will continue of the developments set in motion by Nabil al-Arabi. CIHRS also hopes that human rights principles will constitute the foundation of Egypt\u2019s foreign policy and that the country\u2019s policies will be based on a single standard that respects human rights. Restoring a moral basis to Egypt\u2019s foreign policy will prove to shore up Egypt\u2019s regional and international position.<\/p>\n
In this context, CIHRS stresses that the foreign policies adopted prior to January 25 be reassessed, particularly the way they were harnessed to weaken international human rights mechanisms in Egypt and the world. Diplomats who played leading roles in these destructive policies should also be reevaluated, as they had a negative impact both on international instruments for the respect of human rights and Egypt\u2019s regional and international status. It is imperative to select diplomats who are suited to the new tasks and policies of the coming era and to establish a definite time frame to guarantee the effectiveness of the desired reforms and changes.<\/p>\n
CIHRS further urges the Foreign Minister to reconsider Egypt\u2019s connection to several international coalitions that are hostile to human rights, in addition to the Egyptian diplomacy\u2019s continued political support for some of the worst dictatorships in the world. The collusion with these regimes against their victims, especially from the Arab countries, whether active or implied through Egypt\u2019s silence, is a grave insult to the martyrs of the January 25 revolution. …more<\/a><\/p>\n