EU calls on Egypt to clarify court order banning Muslim Brotherhood

The European Union has requested clarifications from Cairo in regards to the judiciary’s recent decision to ban the Muslim Brotherhood and all its activities, as well as confiscate its funds and property.

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Maya Panjikidze spoke on behalf of Catherine Ashton, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, saying that following the issuance of a court order banning the Muslim Brotherhood the EU wants clarifications from Cairo on this matter.

During the daily press conference in Brussels on Tuesday, the spokeswoman pointed out that, “Ashton will meet with Egypt’s interim Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy this week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly deliberations in New York. She will demand further explanations from him,” the Egyptian Today newspaper reported.

Just weeks ago during an extraordinary meeting in Brussels, EU foreign ministers approved a decision to suspend arms exports to Egypt while maintaining development aid that is allocated to support civil society in an attempt to put pressure on Cairo to resume the required transition to democracy.

This followed the ousting Egypt’s first freely elected President Mohamed Morsi in a military coup on 3 July and the appointment of a military backed interim government.