Egyptian MPs told reporters after their meeting with a British parliamentary delegation in Cairo on Tuesday that the delegation agreed that the Muslim Brotherhood group “must be designated a terrorist organisation.”
Tarek El-Khouli, a member of the Egyptian parliament's foreign affairs committee, told reporters that parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Al and other MPs attending the Tuesday meeting expressed regret that the UK is currently giving shelter to a number of Muslim Brotherhood leaders.
"We told them that we feel worry over the remarkable presence of senior Muslim Brotherhood officials and [their] activities in England despite a British report last December that described the Muslim Brotherhood as possible extremists," said El-Khouli.
In response, according to El-Khouli, the British parliamentary delegation agreed that the Muslim Brotherhood is a terrorist organisation, saying that they fully understand Egypt's concerns in this respect and agree that the group could pose a threat for Britain in the future.
An official parliamentary statement said that parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Al has called upon British MPs and the UK government not to allow the Muslim Brotherhood to use England as a base for carrying out activities that threaten the internal stability of Egypt.
"I urge the UK government and parliament to conduct more studies and research necessary to explore the extremist and radical nature of the Muslim Brotherhood group," Abdel-Al said.
Karim Darwish, a member of the foreign relations committee and a member of the yet to be established Egyptian-British Parliamentary Friendship association, also told reporters that the head of the British delegation told the parliament speaker and other MPs that "three presidents have pushed their countries into destruction and disrupted the internal cohesion of their countries; Hitler in Germany, Pinochet in Chile, and Morsi in Egypt."
Darwish also cited the head of the British delegation – member of the House of Commons Gerald Howarth – as insisting that "all of Europe should correct its position on what happened in Egypt."
"The delay in the return of European tourism in Egypt could push many working in this sector into radicalism, and as I see, the vast majority of Egyptians are moderate," said Howarth.
Osama Heikal, chairman of the Egyptian parliament's media, culture and antiquities committee, told MPs that the parliament speaker expressed regret that the chairman of House of Commons foreign relations committee had invited Ibrahim Mounir, the secretary-general of the international Muslim Brotherhood, to a hearing session last June.
"The parliament speaker told British MPs that the Muslim Brotherhood has carried out many extremist activities in a number of countries and that it exploits shelter in many countries to penetrate their societies, spread extremism, and take this shelter as a cover for their crimes," Heikal said.
Heikal also disclosed that Abdel-Al expressed sorrow that the UK imposed a ban on flights to Egypt last year though it “did nothing” after the terrorist attacks on airports in Brussels and Charles de Gaulle.
Heikal said Abdel-Al has urged Britain to support Moushira Khattab, Egypt's nominee for the post of the new director of the UNESCO.
Ahmed El-Sigini, chairman of parliament's local administration committee, also told reporters that MPs discussed issues related to tourism and the return of British flights to Egypt.
"Speaker Abdel-Al stressed that Egypt has implemented all measures necessary in the area of air safety and that there is no longer an excuse for banning British flights," said El-Sigini.
The five-member delegation, led by Gerald Howarth – a member of the UK House of Commons and head of the group friends of Egypt in the British parliament – began his five-day visit to Egypt by meeting parliament speaker Abdel-Al and other MPs on Tuesday.
The delegation is expected to visit the Red Sea tourist city of Sharm El-Sheikh to review tourism and security concerns.
The visit will also see the foundation of the Egyptian-British Parliamentary Friendship association.
Rania Youssef, deputy head of parliament's foreign relations committee, told reporters that the British parliamentary delegation used an EgyptAir flight to travel to Egypt, where they arrived Monday night.
