Date: Jan 29, 2019 Source: The Daily Star Macron urges human rights on Egypt visit Associated Press CAIRO: French President Emmanuel Macron said he encouraged respect for human rights when he met Monday with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, a military man seen as a bulwark against Islamist extremists who has led an unprecedented crackdown on dissent. Speaking after the two met during a state visit that’s been light on specifics but loaded with symbolism, Macron said that Egypt’s success was important for the world given its size, location and military capabilities, but that free expression was one of the best safeguards against extremism. “Stability and lasting peace go along with personal freedoms and a state of law. That cannot be separated from human rights,” Macron said at a joint news conference. “We have values that are universal, they aren’t only French values. We have requirements ourselves, and human rights are among them. And we can, very frankly, affirm them, which is what I decided to do today.” France, which considers itself the birthplace of human rights, has come under pressure from rights groups and activists to raise the matter with Sisi, who led the military overthrow of an elected but divisive Islamist president in 2013. Since then, authorities have jailed thousands of people, mainly Islamists but also a number of prominent secular activists, including many of those behind the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Egypt has also been accused of arbitrary detention, disappearances and torture, and has silenced most independent media. Ahead of the meeting, Macron had said the latest crackdown is widely seen as more severe than any launched under Mubarak, and that people “who do not threaten the regime’s stability” have been jailed. Macron said he had raised the cases of individual pro-democracy activists with Sisi and mentioned some of the hundreds of websites that have been blocked. He said he also mentioned the precarious state of Egyptian NGOs and civil society, which have come under mounting pressure in recent years. He plans to meet with civil society groups Tuesday. Sisi said the two leaders had a “positive dialogue,” but repeated his argument that Egypt faces much greater challenges than human rights, including providing health care, housing and security for a growing population of 100 million people. “We are not Europe or the United States,” he said, visibly bristling at questions about human rights. “Don’t forget that we are speaking about a troubled region.” Egypt has been battling a long-running insurgency in the northern Sinai region led by a Daesh (ISIS) affiliate, which has carried out a wave of attacks in recent years mainly targeting security forces and minority Christians. A coalition of Egyptian and international rights groups, including Amnesty International, Monday urged Macron to link any future arms sales to improvements on civil liberties and to halt sales of any equipment that could be used to suppress dissent. Macron has dismissed the idea of using arms sales to pressure the government, saying it is important to respect Egypt’s sovereignty. He has also warned that in the absence of Western support, Egypt could turn to China and Russia, something it is already doing. Macron arrived Sunday in Egypt and visited the country’s south, where he toured the famed temple of Abu Simbel and other archaeological sites. His delegation includes government ministers, two dozen representatives from academic, cultural, and scientific fields, and a dozen business leaders - including the heads of Rafale producer Dassault. After the meeting with Sisi, representatives from the two countries signed framework agreements for development aid, women’s entrepreneurship, the continuation of a metro line being built by French firm Vinci, health care, education and culture. France extended a 60 million euro ($68 million) loan and a 2 million euro grant to support development projects. Macron plans to meet the heads of Egypt’s Christian and Muslim communities during the trip, his first to Egypt since taking office in 2017.