10 Jul 2013, 14:51
Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade Pat Breen TD was briefed on the current situation in Egypt from Ahmed Mostafa the Chargé d’Affaires, Embassy of Egypt
Deputy Breen said: “I would like to thank the Chargé for meeting me informally to update me on the political situation in Egypt. It was a very productive and informative meeting. Among the issues we discussed were the development of structures necessary to establish a working democratic system; the evolution of political parties; the slow speed or lack of reforms; and the rise in fundamentalism in the region.
On behalf of the Committee, I was particularly keen for an update on parliamentary elections. The Chargé said that it is proposed that there will be parliamentary elections in three to six months and when there is a parliament, a new or revised constitution can be drafted.
The Chargé was grateful for the continued interest of the Irish people and their support, adding that within Egypt there is great respect for opinions coming from Ireland and that moral support from Europe is very important. He said that the people of Egypt want elections, a strong economy and an amended constitution giving rights to minorities and that, internationally, parliamentarians should be doing all they can to encourage and support progression toward full democracy.”
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Committee Membership
Deputies
Seán Crowe, TD
Pat Breen, TD (Chairman)
Eric Byrne, TD
Olivia Mitchell, TD
Bernard J Durkan, TD
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, TD
Gerald Nash, TD
Dan Neville, TD
Maureen O’Sullivan, TD
Brendan Smith, TD
Senators
Deirdre Clune,
Mark Daly,
Lorraine Higgins,
Michael Mullins,
David Norris,
Jim Walsh.