European Union calls on Egypt to lift state of emergency

The European Union urged the interim Egyptian government to lift the state of emergency as soon as possible and to release those held without charges, stressing a desire to continue the partnership with Egypt.

Reuters reported the European Union representative for foreign affairs, Catherine Ashton, as saying “the constitutional reform in Egypt is moving forward but it must be reflected on the ground. The European Union should be invited to monitor the constitutional referendum”.

Ashton said in a statement, distributed by the EU in Cairo on Tuesday following the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee meeting in Luxembourg, “I hope the Union receives an invitation to monitor the referendum so that the constitution can move forward.”