The Regeni case, Di Maio: “Egypt is an unavoidable interlocutor”

Egypt represents an “unavoidable interlocutor” and “shares with Italy the goal of supporting the political process” of Libya. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, during the hearing of the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry into the death of Giulio Regeni at Palazzo San Macuto. But the international role of Egypt “does not undermine the commitment of the entire government, in continuing to demand the ascertainment of the truth about Giulio’s tragic death” which is “an essential point of reference in our relations with Cairo”, he added. . In particular, the head of the Farnesina cited ” a plurality of collaboration sectors and geo-political quadrants. From the management of regional crises to the fight against terrorism and illicit trafficking, passing through the management of migratory flows and cooperation in the energy field. These are dossiers that directly affect our security and national interests. I remember, in particular, the stabilization of Libya and the prospects for the peace process in the Middle East. ” Di Maio then spoke of the role of Egypt ” in strengthening its relations with the Government of Tripoli, until not long ago. is quite complex, and shares with Italy the goal of supporting the political process in favor of an effectively unified and stable Libya, equipped with institutions capable of exercising a real power of control over the territory and freeing the country from the presence of mercenaries, militias and foreign fighting forces ”. Di Maio therefore defined Egypt as ” the only regional actor able to speak effectively with all the parties involved. A position that was considerably strengthened on the occasion of the recent Gaza crisis, which saw Cairo carry out a decisive work of mediation between the parties in order to reach a truce between Hamas and Israel. ” In any case, the “awareness-raising action” on Cairo “to shed light on the killing of Regeni, declared the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Speaking of ” profound divergence between the conclusions reached by the two prosecutors ” Di Maio defined ” right to push for a resumption of contacts between the investigative bodies. The action was carried out primarily thanks to the repeated steps of our Ambassador to Cairo, Giampaolo Cantini. ” Di Maio recalled that despite the pandemic, ” the teams of investigators met twice, in Rome on October 28 and at Cairo on 5 November 2020. The Prosecutor of the Republic of Rome, Michele Prestipino, and the Attorney General of the Egyptian Republic, Hamada Al Sawi, also held two videoconferences on 1 July and 30 November of the same year. Without the constant action of our diplomacy, these contacts would not have been possible ”. But ” the two prosecutors had to recognize that they did not agree and the judicial paths were divided ”. ” The question of truth and justice on what happened to Giulio Regeni ” represented ” the central element of the talks, with frankness and determination ” that Minister Di Maio had with the Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry on 23 September, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The request for truth for Regeni was also at the center of the “mission to Cairo of the Political Director of the Farnesina, Ambassador Ferrara, on September 9”. And “the pursuit of truth has always been, and will continue to be, a fundamental objective to be achieved in our relations with Egypt “, the minister said again. “Giulio and his family have a right to the truth, but also the whole of Italy”, continued Di Maio, who addressed “in the name of the whole Government, and in particular of the Farnesina, the most sincere and profound closeness to Paola and Claudio Regeni. Arriving at a definitive framework, and sanctioned by a fair trial, will not restore Giulio to his parents, but will reaffirm the strength of the values ​​of justice, transparency and the rule of law in which Giulio believed. ” Egypt will not be able to develop in their fullness until full light is shed on what happened, also considering the right, persistent and very high sensitivity on the matter by the Italian institutions and public opinion ”, continued Di Maio. ” This is also why we have made our partners in the European Union and United Nations aware of our requests for justice and truth, ” he added. The minister then defended the decision to keep the Italian ambassador in Cairo tough nte the hearing. The holder of the Farnesina cited the “ delivery of the investigation file to the Egyptian lawyers of the Regeni family, which took place in the Embassy in Cairo in December 2017 thanks to the dialogue established by Ambassador Cantini with the then Egyptian Attorney General Sadek. This sharing made it possible to acquire information not available until then and which proved to be important for the reconstruction of our investigators ”. Recalling that ” judicial cooperation treaties are not in force between Italy and Egypt ”, Di Maio expressed his appreciation for ” the tireless action of our Embassy in Cairo to request the Egyptian authorities to facilitate contacts between the two prosecutors and for this reason it was even more necessary and precious ”. However ” the progress recently obtained is insufficient. We are well aware of this. But it is also useful to highlight what the former Public Prosecutor of Rome Pignatone underlined in the hearing here a few days ago: ‘the presence of the Ambassador was a right choice, in light of the importance of a dialogue other than that exclusively had in some phases’ “. According to the minister, the relationship between the Italian and Egyptian judicial authorities in carrying out the investigation into Regeni’s death was” fluctuating “. ” The fact remains that these Authorities have provided Italian colleagues with documents useful to identify the four defendants. Among these, I recall the investigation file, the video of the dialogue between Giulio Regeni and the trade unionist Abdallah, the telephone records, the traffic of cells in some areas ”, added Di Maio. “The memorandum delivered in June by the Egyptian Attorney General to our Ambassador was frankly disappointing. But this, instead of discouraging us, must push the Government and Farne sina to continue relentlessly in raising awareness of the Egyptian authorities ”, he continued. body was unexpected “. Expressing ” sincere thanks to our Judicial Police and our Judiciary ”, Di Maio defined ” the crucial role of civil society and public opinion as a whole, which strongly supported Giulio’s family and their firm demand for truth. ” In this context, the head of the Farnesina cited the motivation given by the Judge for the Preliminary Hearing of the criminal trial against the four Egyptian agents before the Court of Assizes of Rome, according to which the failure to elect domicile of the accused is overcome by the fact that ‘the widespread and extraordinary media coverage on the Regeni case has made the news of the pending trial become a well-known fact. Regeni ” if the family agrees and if there is the possibility ”, the minister announced. However, the head of the Farnesina recalled that ” from the family there was an appeal not to build a series of initiatives during the trial that could slow it down ”. ” I hope for a process that will lead to truth and justice ” and ‘ ‘I believe it is in the faculties in our judicial system and in the Italian state’ ‘, continued Di Maio, stating that’ ‘we will support this procedure and the judiciary with all our strength’ ‘. On the Egyptian side, “the fact that we have not yet received signs such as domiciliation or others that go in the direction of greater collaboration will not lead the Farnesina and the diplomatic corps to desist”, he stressed.