Respect human rights - free Ayman Nour

The respect for human rights and democratic principles is the cornerstone of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. The European Parliament is becoming more vocal in its insistence on the respect of human rights by the EU's Mediterranean partners.

In the resolution on the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership approved last Wednesday the European Parliament called on the Egyptian authorities to release Ayman Nour from detention. Mr Nour, a member of Egypt's Parliament and founder of the recently legalised Al Ghad (Tomorrow) party, was stripped of his Parliamentary immunity and arrested on January 29 on charges of forging signatures on documents with which he registered his party.

His party's newspaper, Al Ghad, was closed down just before its first edition was due to be published on February 9. Mr Nour's detention was meanwhile extended by 45 days on orders of the Supreme State Prosecutor.

Mr Nour, who suffers from diabetes and needs constant medical attention, was also denied access to legal advice. Some reports have also claimed that he was violently treated when arrested.

Mr Nour's arrest is part of a crackdown against human rights and democracy activists in Egypt, which has gained momentum ever since Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak revealed his intention to seek a fifth six-year presidential term. Mr Mubarak has also been reported to have said that calls for constitutional reforms are "futile".

Under the current constitutional rules, come May the Egyptian Parliament (People's Assembly) chooses a single candidate to stand in the presidential referendum. If the rules and practices remain as they are, Mr Mubarak is expected to be nominated as the sole candidate.

In September the people will then be called to vote on whether they approve this candidate. In October, elections to the People's Assembly are also scheduled. In the past, Opposition parties accused the Government of widespread irregularities during elections.

The free world would be ready perhaps to accept the September Presidential election if, at the very least, Mr Mubarak allows a credible candidate to run against him and if the election is clean. It is not known whether the United States has made any official representations to Egypt over Mr Nour's arrest, although the State Department has publicly voiced concern.

US-Egyptian relations strengthened after the 1979 peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. US military aid to Egypt is reported to be around $1.3 billion annually and USAID has provided over $25 billion in economic and development assistance between 1975 and 2002.

Parliamentarians write to Egyptian authorities

The Italian MEP Emma Bonino (ALDE) has written to the President of the Egyptian Parliament, Ahmed Fathy Sorour, who is currently also president of the newly formed Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly, noting that Mr Nour was arrested on allegations of falsifying signatures to establish his party but meanwhile his party had already been legalised.

The Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly is scheduled to meet in Cairo between March 13 and 15.

In another development, French socialist MEP Beatrice Patrie, who chairs the Delegation of the European Parliament for relations with the Mashrek, has written to the Egyptian authorities to allow MEPs attending the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly to visit Mr Nour.