Amr Moussa, chairman of the Committee of 50 amending the constitution, said the attitude of the US administration and the West towards Egypt has suffered after the 30 June revolution.
“Relations with those countries have deteriorated over the past year,” he said.
In an interview with the Kuwaiti Al-Ra’y newspaper published Wednesday, Moussa said the US position against Egypt’s military crackdown of political opposition was based on wrong assumptions. “It is unacceptable to threaten [Egypt] with cutting aid,” he said. “Aid is useful to both parties.”
“But we must know that the United States is the first superpower that controls the world,” he added. “We cannot ignore it.”
Moussa also said the support of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to Egypt has further distanced Egypt from the West.
On reconciliation with the Muslim Brotherhood, he said he had called for it on behalf of the National Salvation Front but found no response. “Nor did the Europeans when they tried,” he added.
Moussa said that the Committee on the Constitutional Committee will complete the initial drafting of the constitution after the Eid vacation. “Disputed articles would be resolved through consultation with all parties concerned,” he said.
Moussa denied that the constitution gives immunity any particular person in any state institution. “We are determining the future of institutions and not individuals, he said. “We are drafting a balanced and unambiguous constitution.”
On the best electoral system, Moussa said that there is considerable support for an “individual-based” system while political parties prefer a list-based” system. “Next parliament can change that if need be,” he said.
He predicted a mixed system of governance like the French system, whereby power is divided between the president and the prime minister.
