Ashton welcomes peaceful, orderly constitution vote

European Union Foreign Affairs and Security Policy official Catherine Ashton welcomed the peaceful and orderly environment that prevailed during the vote on the constitution. "I have followed very closely the holding of the referendum on the draft Constitution on 15 and 22 December in Egypt. I welcome the peaceful and orderly environment that prevailed during the vote," Ashton said in a statement. "I take note of the majority voting in favour of the Constitution. I also note that voter turn out was at 33\%," she added. "Given the continuing need for consensus-building and inclusion, I reiterate my previous calls for dialogue among all parties in Egypt in order to make further progress toward deep and sustainable democracy. I urge those concerned, in particular the President, to intensify efforts in this regard. It is of the utmost importance that the confidence and trust of all Egyptians in the process is restored." "Egypt is a close partner of the EU and I want to stress our support for Egypts democratic transition. The importance of our relationship was recently highlighted in the EU-Egypt Task Force organised in Cairo on 13-14 November. This Task Force has established a new era in our relationship where the overarching values of respect for social justice, socio-economic development, rule of law, human rights and good governance must inspire our common actions in the future." (MENA)