Senior Iranian lawmaker deplores EU’s meddling in Egypt

A prominent Iranian legislator strongly condemned the European Union’s interference in Egypt’s internal affairs. “The EU is trying to control Egypt’s crisis the way it likes,” member of the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Mohammad Saleh Jokar said. He pointed to the recent visit of EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton to Egypt, and said, “Under the present critical political atmosphere Catherine Ashton has not travelled to Egypt as a mediator to resolve the crisis, rather the EU countries are trying to make the best use of the current situation by dispatching their representative there.” Jokar noted that the strategic importance of Egypt for the EU and the US is so much that they are trying to win the Egyptian people’s support by portraying themselves as mediators since they want to achieve their joint interests which is guaranteeing security for Israel. Earlier this week, Chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi also strongly condemned foreign interference in Egypt's internal affairs, and asked for a political solution to the current crisis in the Muslim country. He noted that Tehran considers the ongoing unrest in Egypt as “an internal issue” which concerns the Egyptian nation, stressing that the Islamic Republic does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. The Iranian lawmaker further called on the Egyptian leaders to remain vigilant in the face of US and Israeli plots, adding, “The continuation of the current situation leads to the weakness of Egypt and the Islamic world.” Egypt plunged into violence after the country’s army ousted President Mohammed Mursi, suspended the constitution, and dissolved the parliament on July 3. The military overthrow followed days of mass protests against Mursi. The army also declared chief justice of Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court, Adly Mansour, as interim president. Earlier this month, the Egyptian Prosecutor General ordered the arrest of Muslim Brotherhood leaders, including the supreme leader of the group, Mohammed Badie, on charges of inciting violence. Many people have been killed in violent clashes involving supporters and opponents of Mursi and security forces over the past few days, with more than 80 deaths reported on July 8 alone.