Diplomatic tensions have renewed between Cairo and Amsterdam against the backdrop of the arrest of activist Ahmed Nasser, Vice President of the Union of Egyptian Youth Abroad, and a colleague of his in the Netherlands, amid Egyptian parliamentary demands to “release them” and protests in front of the Dutch Embassy in Cairo.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty called on his Dutch counterpart, Tom Berendsen, to “know the circumstances of the arrest and quickly release the Egyptian citizen,” while the head of the Human Rights Committee in the House of Representatives, Tariq Radwan, called for “clarifying the legal basis for the measures taken against Nasser and ensuring his rights.”
The arrest of Nasser and his colleague came on Sunday morning as they were heading to participate in a demonstration in support of the Egyptian government in front of its embassy headquarters in The Hague, in which dozens of members of Egyptian communities in Europe participated to show their “support for the embassy employees,” following an anti-government demonstration organized by activist Anas Habib in front of its headquarters last week.
The repercussions of the incident spread to Cairo, where dozens gathered in front of the Dutch embassy on Monday to demand Nasser’s release. Amid fears of renewed diplomatic tensions between Cairo and Amsterdam against the backdrop of the “embassy demonstrations” that took place earlier.
Last year witnessed a demonstration campaign in front of Egyptian embassies and diplomatic missions abroad and calls for their closure, in which Anas Habib himself closed the headquarters of the Egyptian embassy in the Netherlands to workers from abroad with locks, claiming that Cairo was obstructing the entry of aid into Gaza, which Egypt denied repeatedly, pointing the finger at the “Brotherhood” organization for standing up to the campaign that developed into protests in front of its embassies in several countries.
According to a statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Monday evening, Abdel-Ati made a phone call to his Dutch counterpart, during which he raised the issue of the Egyptian citizen who was arrested by the Dutch authorities the day before, demanding to know the circumstances of the incident and to quickly release him.
During the call, Abdel Ati stressed the utmost importance of providing the necessary and adequate protection for the headquarters of the Egyptian Embassy in The Hague, respecting the obligations stipulated in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and linking this to the principle of reciprocity, pointing to “the Egyptian authorities’ keenness to protect all diplomatic missions present in Egypt.”
Representative Radwan said in a statement on Monday that revealing the reasons for Nasser’s arrest and his legal status is necessary to ensure respect for his rights, calling on the competent Dutch authorities to clarify the measures taken against him, and to enable him to communicate with his lawyer and family and obtain all the prescribed legal guarantees.
He stressed the importance of dealing with the incident transparently and responsibly, because its developments and the protest witnessed in Cairo in front of the Dutch embassy raise questions that require clear answers regarding the consistency of political positions with declared human rights principles, most notably freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and fair trial guarantees.
Dozens of young people gathered in front of the Dutch embassy in Cairo on Monday to demand the release of Nasser, chanting slogans against the “Brotherhood” organization, which the Egyptian authorities classify as “terrorist.”
Member of Parliament, Mustafa Bakri, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has moved since the beginning of the crisis to follow up on the arrest of Nasser and his colleague in the Netherlands, stressing his “confidence in its ability to reach a solution that leads to their release.” Because the diplomatic move reflects the state’s interest in following up on the conditions of its citizens abroad and defending their rights.”
Bakri believes that “the Dutch government is dealing with this file with double standards based on political positions and opinions, which is inconsistent with the principles of human rights that it uses as an excuse to arrest young Egyptians.”
Meanwhile, the head of the Egyptian community in Germany, Alaa Thabet, confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that “the process of arresting Nasser and his colleague was like a kidnapping just hundreds of meters before reaching the embassy headquarters, which raises questions about its reasons, given that no violation of Dutch laws was committed.”
A delegation of Sudanese political and civil forces under the “Declaration of Principles” discussed, in Addis Ababa, on Monday, with the “Five-Year Mechanism” ways to end the war and address the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.
These forces said, in a press statement, that the meeting with the “Five-Year Mechanism,” which includes the African Union, the United Nations, the European Union, the League of Arab States, and the IGAD, focused on launching arrangements for a peace process led by the Sudanese, starting with a humanitarian truce that leads to a permanent cessation of fighting and a democratic civilian transition.
The statement of the forces, an anti-war civil political coalition, stressed the priority of reaching an “immediate and unconditional humanitarian truce,” and called for the protection of civilians and ensuring the arrival of humanitarian aid, paving the way for the launch of the peace process.
The Sudanese forces presented their vision to the international “five-party mechanism” regarding an integrated peace process that would proceed along three simultaneous tracks, led by the humanitarian response to the aftermath of the war, a ceasefire, in addition to launching a political dialogue that addresses the roots of the crisis and establishes a just and comprehensive peace that leads to a sustainable democratic civil transition.
The vision calls for unifying regional and international mediations and linking them to coordinated pressure, including expanding the arms embargo to all of Sudan, drying up sources of funding for the war, and holding perpetrators of atrocities and obstructors of peace accountable.
The participants in the Addis Ababa meeting stressed the importance of creating a unified umbrella that includes the “Quartet,” the “Five-Mechanism,” and the Troika countries.
The statement also stressed the need for all Sudanese civil forces to participate in designing and leading the process according to fair standards that prevent the dominance of any party, while excluding the isolated National Congress Party and its organizational fronts from any participation in the upcoming political process.
According to the statement, the “Declaration of Principles Forces” stressed the importance of linking the peace process to implementing strict measures to put pressure on the parties to the war that are obstructing peace, in addition to stopping all forms of external support that fuel the conflict, drying up sources of funding for the war, and holding those responsible for atrocities accountable.
The forces also stressed the need to preserve the unity of Sudan, its land and its people, and renewed the call for all regional and international efforts to work with the Sudanese to find a peaceful solution to the crisis, and to transform diplomatic efforts into concrete steps that stop the bloodshed and alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people.
The Sudanese Declaration of Principles forces agreed, earlier, on a document stating that “there is no military solution to the crisis,” calling for a political process with pure Sudanese ownership, with broad participation from anti-war forces, in a way that enhances the chances of reaching sustainable solutions.
The Forces of Principles Declaration includes the “Resilience Alliance” led by former Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok, the “National Umma Party,” the “Union Rally,” the “Sudanese Congress Party,” the “Sudan People’s Liberation Movement - Revolutionary Current,” the “Sudan Liberation Army” movement, and the “Arab Socialist Baath Party,” in addition to a number of independent national figures.
