EU: constitution and presidential elections are internal Egyptian affairs

Head of the European Union (EU) delegation in Egypt James Moran said on Sunday that the coming constitution referendum and the presidential elections are left to the Egyptians only to decide. "There was no enough time to form an EU mission to monitor the referendum, however; we sent a team of experts to follow up the voting process, said Moran in a joint press conference held here with Greek Ambassador to Egypt Chris Lazaris. As for the statements of Defense Minister Abdel Fatah el-Sisi on the presidency, the EU diplomat said he cannot comment on such statements since it is an internal Egyptian affair. He hoped, however, that the presidential elections will be done in a transparent and democratic manner. Asked if the EU aid to Egypt's civil society organizations include the Muslim Brotherhood, Moran answered that the EU assistance includes all organizations that contribute to democracy and work on development in Egypt. Moran also spoke about the EU support to Egypt in fighting terrorism, saying that EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton offered support to the Egyptian authorities in this regard. He added that the EU wants to see Egypt successful in ending terrorism in Sinai.