Angry Egypt cancels talks with EU officials

A border guard stands beside a European Union flag in Hradek nad Nisou, Czech Republic December 21, 2007.

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt has cancelled political talks with senior European Union officials after a European Parliament resolution criticised the state of human rights in Egypt, the Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

"In light of the negative reaction triggered by the recent European Parliament resolution and the tense atmosphere it has created, the Egyptian side has informed the European Commission that the meeting ... for political consultation between both sides at this stage is inappropriate," the ministry said in a statement."

The talks in question are a two-day meeting of the EU-Egypt subcommittee on political matters, which was expected to take place in Cairo next Wednesday and Thursday.

The European resolution, passed on Thursday, called on the Egyptian government "to end all forms of harassment, including judicial measures, detention of media professionals and, more generally, human rights defenders and activists."

It also called for the immediate release of opposition politician Ayman Nour and for a change in the law on military courts, which the Egyptian authorities have sometimes used against the government's political opponents.

The resolution triggered angry reactions from the Egyptian government and parliament. The ministry countered the resolution with its own accusation that religious and ethnic minorities face increasing discrimination in Europe.

(Writing by Alaa Shahine)