Egypt says Italy statements on Giulio Regeni 'further complicate situation'

Ahram Online , Tuesday 5 Apr 2016

Italy said on Tuesday it would take 'immediate and proportionate' measures against Egypt if Cairo does not fully cooperate in uncovering the truth surrounding the murder of the Italian student

Regeni
In this file photo released by the Egyptian Ministry of Interior on Thursday, Mar. 24, 2016, personal belongings of slain Italian graduate student Giulio Regeni, including his passport, are displayed

The foreign ministry said on Tuesday that statements made by Italian foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni on Egypt's handling of the murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni would do no good for the situation. 

Gentiloni told the Italian parliament earlier in the day that his government "is ready to react, adopting measures that are both immediate and proportionate" if Cairo does not fully cooperate in uncovering the truth surrounding the murder of Regeni.

"In confirmation of Egypt's full committment to cooperation with Italy in this case we decline to comment on these statements, which further complicate the situation," foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said. 

The comments by Gentiloni came one day ahead of the arrival of a delegation of Egyptian investigators in Rome on Wednesday to provide Italian officials with the latest findings of their investigation into the murder of Regeni.

The PhD student, who was in Cairo conducting research on independent trade unions, went missing on 25 January. His body was found, bearing signs of torture, by a roadside on the outskirts of Cairo on 3 February.

Egypt has strongly denied claims that security forces were involved in Regeni's murder.

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