By NNN-KUNA
Cairo : Egypt’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Husam Zaki termed the Egyptian-US relations as highly important and helpful for both sides.
Since resumption of diplomatic relations between Egypt and the United States in the mid-seventies, bilateral ties in all fields were based on mutual respect and mutual benefits, he noted.
The two countries work together to promote peace, stability and economic development in the Middle East, he said.
The ties are too strong to be affected by any unfounded criticism, he said, commenting on recent remarks by U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns on Egyptian political detainees.
Burns slammed Egypt for detaining opposition leaders and advocates of political reform.
The remarks reflect Burns’s misunderstanding of the “accelerated steps towards political reform in Egypt,” according to Zaki.
“The Egyptian government provided wide space for the freedom of expression in general and press freedom in particular, Zaki indicated.
“The detainees, even if they were involved in politics, were sent to jail according to fair judicial processes and legal proceedings,” the spokesman asserted.
The Egyptian-US dialogue on regional issues is highly important and must go on, he added, terming as “essential to the regional stability” the cooperation between the two sides.