• FJP News
  • October 5, 2011
  • 3 minutes read

Katatni Criticizes US Policies in Middle East in Meeting With American Officials

Katatni Criticizes US Policies in Middle East in Meeting With American Officials

 Dr. Mohamed Saad Katatni, Secretary General of the Freedom and Justice Party met with Mr. Prem Kumar, director of Egypt affairs on the National Security staff at the White House, and Ms. Amy Sia Catherine, First Secretary of the U.S. embassy in Cairo. The meeting, held on Monday evening, at the party headquarters, dealt with democratic change in Egypt, and relations between Egypt and the US.


Katatni made several observations on American politics regarding several issues, the first of which were US interference in internal Egyptian affairs, the issue of human rights, the Arab – Israeli conflict, and US support for Arab authoritarian regimes at the expense of the people.

Katatni stressed that if the US wants to build balanced relations with the countries of the region after the Arab Spring, it should re-read the landscape with all its components, taking into account the will of the region’s peoples, which has become a critical factor in the political equation.

Katatni also stressed the need for establishing the Egyptian – US relations on the bases of mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs, as well as respect for human rights – rejecting the usual double standard approach in this important issue.

As regards the FJP’s vision of the democratic transformation, Katatni said: "The party believes that it is essential to have an elected parliament, a government backed by a parliamentary majority able to manage the next stage, an elected leader who wins popular approval and has a vision to manage Egypt after the revolution, and a balanced Constitution that reflects the independent Egyptian will".

Katatni reiterated the FJP’s rejection of all Supra-Constitutional Principles, the so-called Inviolable Constitutional Principles, and any attempt to circumvent the will of the Egyptian people, pointing out that the party believes that the next constitution must be agreed upon by all, not only by a parliamentary majority which may well change from one parliamentary session to another. “We want to end the transitional period as soon as possible, so we can have an elected civilian authority working for development and stability” Katatni added.

As for the FJP’s opinion regarding the position of the armed forces in the next constitution, Katatni stated that the Egyptian people values the armed forces and appreciate the role they played in the protection of the revolution. “We believe that the armed forces have tasks well-defined in the Constitution, i.e. border protection and homeland defence, hence the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces must focus on its primary tasks after transferring full power to an elected civilian authority.

For his part, Mr. Prem Kumar pointed out that the U.S. administration seeks dialogue with all political forces in Egypt, especially after the changes that occurred following the revolution, as well as support for democratic change in Egypt and the Arab region. Kumar also pointed to the keenness of the United States to achieve economic balance in many Arab countries, with an eye to overcoming poverty and suffering experienced by the peoples.