Egyptian newspaper misquotes EU ambassador

The European Union’s Delegation to Cairo has issued a statement noting that the EU’s Ambassador to Egypt, James Moran, was misquoted in an interview with the Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper, pointing out that there was an error in both the citation and the translation.

The Middle East News Agency has reported on the controversy over the statement. The Arabic version of the interview claimed that Ambassador Moran had said: “We do not have any comment on who will be Egypt’s next president,” and the English version, published as the Egypt Independent, quoted the Ambassador as saying: “If the Egyptians want to return to military rule, it is up to them.” The EU stressed that the Ambassador was misquoted on both occasions.

The statement also clarified that the newspaper misquoted Ambassador Moran as calling the events of 30 June “a revolution”.

In a post on the delegation’s Facebook page directly addressed to the Egypt Independent, Rasha Serry, the press officer for the EU delegation to Egypt, stated: “Ambassador Moran described the events of 30 June as ‘a popular uprising’ not a revolution. Also, asked about General’s Sissi’s nomination for presidency, Ambassador Moran said: ‘it is up to Egyptians to vote for whoever they chose.’ He never mentioned military rule. Kindly make note of these changes to ensure proper translation and reporting.”

The statement noted that the delegation appreciates the professionalism of Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper, and believes the misquotes were made in good faith. However the sensitivity of the subject necessitated the embassy to clarify Ambassador Moran’s statements.