European Union Foreign Ministers congratulated victorious Egyptian presidential candidate Mohammed Morsi, at a meeting in Luxembourg on Monday.
They echoed Israel's calls for "Egypt’s continued commitment to the goal of building stability, peace and prosperity in the Mediterranean and Middle East region."
Recognising the elections as a “significant milestone in Egypt’s democratic transition and (a) historic moment for the people, the country and the region”, the ministers nevertheless counselled the president-elect of "the need for a full and swift hand-over to civilian authorities, and recalls previous commitments in this regard."
Extolling the need to honour "the rule of law and to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms for all," as well as recalling "the important role of an active and independent civil society as a key component of any democratic society", the ministers expressed "serious concern" regarding the recent dissolution of parliament and the intermediate ruling military’s issuing of a constitutional document granting it full powers over a new permanent constitution which is being drafted, describing such measure as causing "delay and hinder to the transition and full handover to civilian rule."
Recognising the challenges facing the new president, with dim prospects of a struggling economy, deteriorating security and divide nation, the Council’s statement continued to express "the EU’s readiness to provide assistance, in close partnership with Egypt’s new democratic authorities in coordination with the international community" to secure "necessary social and economic reforms, to allow the effective use of available international assistance and to improve the business environment."
In a press conference following the council meeting, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton claimed the leader "recognised that it was of truly historic significance in Egypt, where the people were able to elect a president for the first time in history."
Commending Morsi’s "encouraging words" on including all Egyptians, she called for "an inclusive and transparent drafting process for Egypt’s new constitution that must guarantee human rights and fundamental freedoms for all."
Speaking of the popular uprisings which led to the ousting of former authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak and gave way to the possibility of democratic reform ni the country, she said: "We remembered (the Cairo scene of mass protests as part of the uprising) Tahrir Square and the people who saw that the future could be different for their country and for their people. It’s now up to the president and of course the government that will follow to ensure that vision is realised. I wish him well."
Ashton also spoke of the adoption by the EU ministers of "strong conclusions on Syria," emphasising the need for "a peaceful transition without delay" from authoritarian President Assad’s regime.
Referring to Assad’s obligations to UN envoy to Syria Kofi Annan’s six point plan for the region, she said that "while the main responsibility for implementing Kofi Annan’s plan lies with the government, we urge all parties to refrain from violence."
She condemned the "unacceptable shooting down of a Turkish plane by Syria" on Friday, which resulted in the deaths of two pilots and insisted that "Syria must comply with its international obligations."
Paying her respect to the pilots’ families, she revealed that she had been in contact with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davitoglu and said that Turkey "is now examining the circumstances and will be reserving its rights (to act) under international law."
Lauding the significance of Russia’s involvement in the "support of peaceful political process" in Syria, she revealed that the EU had hosted and funded a meeting of opposition forces in Brussels over the weekend, adding that it’s "vital that the Syrian opposition unites to work together for a peaceful transition."
She spoke of the motives behind organising the covert opposition gathering, saying he EU’s aim was "to try and support quietly the chances of that (united action) being achieved."
"For the opposition parties, the critical issue is to get as much unity of purpose and a sense of inclusivity and I really do stress again that this is about an inclusive future for Syria and an inclusive future for all the people of Syria."
Speaking of ongoing economic sanctions against Syria, she said:"As long as this repression continues, we will increase the pressure of sanctions on the Assad regime. Today we’ve added one individual and six entities to our list, bringing the total to 129 people and 49 entities."
On Iran, Ashton spoke of the announcement of technical talks next month in Istanbul, following last week’s unsuccessful third round of negotiations in Moscow as "a chance to narrow the very substantial gap which currently exists between the two sides."
Emphasising that "technical discussions are not negotiations," she declared "they are a way of explaining some of the details behind our proposal and some of the issues that Iran has raised in the hope that by explanation it will give us the opportunity to perhaps get a little closer."
She insisted that the choice "is Iran’s" and said she was committed "to try to achieve and negotiate an agreement with Tehran to reassure the international community about the purely peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear programme."
Renewing the EU’s commitment to a “twin-track approach”, she confirmed that "the sanctions that have been agreed will be implemented from July 1, including an embargo on Iranian oil imports."
Progress of such sanctions are continually kept under review for three reasons, Ashton added. "Firstly, to ensure they’re effective; secondly, to make sure that as far as possible we’re avoiding any potential damage in terms of the population – ordinary people who are not targeted; and thirdly, to make sure things are not evaded."
"Sanctions are there to try to keep up the pressure in order that the regime in Iran understands that this is about trying to get them to take those concerns seriously and address them."

EJP