Egyptian Foreign Minister
Sameh Shoukry on Thursday "reiterated Egypt's commitment to
continuing the investigation underway into the murder of the
Italian academic Giulio Regeni with all the transparency and
interest" necessary.
The comment was made in a statement released by the Egyptian
ministry on Thursday's meeting between Shoukry and the Italian
ambassador to Cairo, Giampaolo Cantini.
Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid noted in the text sent to
ANSA that the minister "underscored at the beginning of the
meeting that he was pleased to meet the new ambassador to
confirm the special nature of Italian-Egyptian relations, their
long history and the shared interests between the two countries:
economic and trade cooperation, cultural exchanges, and
coordination and constant consultation on how to strengthen
security and stability in the Middle East and the
Mediterranean."
Egypt has denied suggestions its security forces, frequently
accused of brutal repression of opposition, had anything to do
with the death of Regeni, who was researching Cairo street
seller unions.
Regeni, 28, disappeared on January 25, 2016, the heavily
policed fifth anniversary of the popular ousting of former
strongman Hosni Mubarak.
His mutilated body was found in a ditch on the road to
Alexandria nine days later.
Cantini took up his position earlier this month, replacing
Maurizio Massari, who was recalled in spring 2016 following
friction over Egyptian lack of cooperation in the quest for the
truth.
But in August Rome decided to send Ambassador Cantini to
Cairo, citing recent progress over the case.
Earlier this month Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano said it
was impossible for Rome not to have high-level political and
diplomatic relations with such an important neighbour.
Regeni's parents met Rome prosecutors earlier this month
after voicing their "indignation" that Cantini had been sent in
- despite Italian government assurances that finding the truth
on their son's murder would be a top priority for the envoy.
The Rome meeting focused on documents recently sent by
Egyptian prosecutors, which did not contain any clinching
evidence on who tortured and killed the Friuli native.
The Regeni family insists there has not been any real
breakthrough such as to warrant Cantini's posting.
Alfano has told parliament that the search for the truth
about the murder will include "the British institution for which
Giulio was conducting his research" - Cambridge University.
He said Cantini "will have a relationship of cooperation with
his British colleague in the Egyptian capital" over the Regeni
case.
Alfano said the decision to send Cantini to Cairo does not
mean Rome has given up its quest to get to the bottom of the
affair.
He added that the government had already explained its
position regarding a New York Times report that the US gave
"explosive" evidence that Egypt's secret services tortured and
murdered Regeni to the former government of Matteo Renzi.
In its report, the NYT said the administration of former
United States president Barack Obama gave the Renzi government
proof last year that graduate student Regeni was abducted,
tortured and killed by Egypt's security services, who had been
surveilling him for some time because of his research into
street vendor trade unions.
The office of Premier Paolo Gentiloni denied the report.
The Obama administration gave no "explosive evidence" or real
actionable information to the Renzi government that Regeni was
tortured and murdered by the Egyptian secret services,
Gentiloni's office said.
Egypt gave several explanations for Regeni's death including
a car accident, a gay lovers' tiff turned ugly and murder by an
alleged kidnapping gang, later wiped out by police - all of them
rejected by Italy.
But last month Cairo supplied allegedly key fresh testimony
by the police who probed Regeni before and after his death,
prompting Rome to send Cantini to Cairo.
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