Scepticism as Italy claims Egypt 'collaborating' on murdered Cambridge student

Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Tajani (left) and President of Egypt El-Sisi (right) during their meeting in Cairo

 CAIRO -  Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had a meeting with Egyptian President El Sisi to discuss energy security, economic cooperation, stability in the Mediterranean, and fighting illegal migration from Libya and claimed Cairo offered collaboration on resolving cases of murdered Cambridge student Giuliano Regeni -- tirtured to death by Egyptian secret police -- and imprisoned Bologna student Patrick Zaki. The Italian opposition and Regeni's parents dismissed the foreign minister's claims as craven, saying Tajani can’t say be saying the truth --  Italy is not satisfied with the collaboration with Egypt.”

 Tajani, head of Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party in the right-wing Italian Government headed by 'post-fascist' Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, told a press conference in Cairo “There is no unwillingness on behalf of Egypt to help remove obstacles (in reference to Regeni and Zaki’s cases).” 

 "Tajani can’t be saying the truth: Italy is not satisfied with the collaboration with Egypt. Regeni’s process is stuck. Zaki is still in Egypt.” wrote on Twitter Lia Quattropelli, manager of foreign relations for the left-wing Democratic Party. 

 Green and Left Alliance MP Angelo Bonelli said on Facebook " How could minister Tajani feel reassured by the Egyptian government after it fooled Italy on Giulio Regeni’s death? This the same government which never collaborated with Italy and who obstructed Italian judges to investigate the truth.”

 Relations between Italy and Egypt frosted after Regeni was found murdered on a street of Cairo where he had been researching a doctorate on Egyptian trade unions. Italian magistrates ordered four Egyptian spies to stand trial in Italy on charges of torturing the young Italian to death but Egyptian authorities refused to serve the international writs on the spooks. 

 El Sisi's military regime rebuffed the judicial request confident in the knowledge that Italy is desparate not to jeopardise a massive energy contract procured by Italy's ENI energy giant. Tajani's obsequious remarks confirmed the craven policy of successive governments in Rome, diplomatic sources said. 

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