Transcript of Hatem Seif el Nasr interview

On Sunday 13th February Andrew Marr interviewed the Egyptian Ambassador to the UK, Hatem Seif el Nasr.

Please note 'The Andrew Marr Show' must be credited if any part of this transcript is used.

ANDREW MARR:

Now the army is urging people, as we've heard, to get back to normal life, but the news from Cairo is that protestors are flooding back. I'm joined now by the Ambassador in London, His Excellency Hatem Seif El Nasr. Welcome Ambassador. Thank you for coming in. I suppose the first obvious question is do you know who you're reporting to in Cairo at the moment?

HATEM SEIF EL NASR:

Well you know ambassadors report to the foreign ministries, to the Foreign Office, but as a whole who is in charge…

ANDREW MARR:

Yes.

HATEM SEIF EL NASR:

To answer this question, it's the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. They replace the presidency if you will.

ANDREW MARR:

Now we know that the armed forces have been hugely powerful in your country for sixty years now. What do you think is the prognosis or the likelihood of the armed forces genuinely standing back and allowing the formation of a new civilian government.

HATEM SEIF EL NASR:

I think it's been always an article of faith with the Egyptian people that the armed forces are the most disciplined, efficient institution in the country. This has been proven year after year during you know at least the last twenty years. So tasking them with this most important mission in our recent history is something that I think people are optimistic about. It's a mission that is I think … that has a timeline, and they are committed in their communiqués that came out to turn this to a civilian democratic authority. So civilian and democratic are the key words here.

ANDREW MARR:

Key words. The Information Minister is under house arrest, we understand.

HATEM SEIF EL NASR:

No, I'm not sure he is under house arrest, but you know all officials are not to leave the country for the moment.

ANDREW MARR:

Yes. So in terms of … I mean is there a Foreign Minister as such?

HATEM SEIF EL NASR:

For the moment the cabinet is a caretaker government and they are going to actually convene today for a few days until a new government is formed.

ANDREW MARR:

Now there is a problem of sequence, I suppose, which is that clearly Egypt needs a new constitution and a new constitutional arrangement, but also there are elections planned in September. Do you think those elections might have to be postponed until the constitution is agreed, or will they definitely go ahead do you think?

HATEM SEIF EL NASR:

There are two scenarios really and the jury is still out. We don't know what is going to be decided, but I think in a very few days this will be decided. The first scenario is to go ahead with the presidential elections in September, relying on the current constitutional arrangements going through parliament, you know changing the articles in the constitution that would allow for a more inclusive involvement. The second option is to open it up and have an interim period dissolving parliament and just suspending the constitution. So between these two options.

ANDREW MARR:

But you are sure - as sure as you can be sitting here - that Egypt will see a properly democratic, openly elected civilian government taking over by the end of the year say?

HATEM SEIF EL NASR:

I have no reason to doubt that. Knowing the people who are in charge, starting with Field Marshal Tantawi who's a man of the world with a world view, very keen knowledge and practical experience in domestic affairs, a man you know, of integrity, I think this will happen. And he is surrounded by people who are very astute and strategic thinkers.

ANDREW MARR:

A lot of discussion in the papers about the Mubarak family wealth, whether it's actually already outside Egypt now; and people don't know how much it is, but they're talking in billions, whether it's three billion or twenty billion people are talking about. Some of it certainly has been in London. Do you think that that should be frozen until the new Egyptian government is able to look at the issue? And what do you think of President Mubarak's own future? Do you think he could possibly come to this country?

HATEM SEIF EL NASR:

President Mubarak has vowed to stay in the country. And I do believe if he is allowed to stay in the country as he is, he would prefer …

ANDREW MARR:

(over) Prefer to do that.

HATEM SEIF EL NASR:

… to spend his life in a country that he has served for so many years. Truly …

ANDREW MARR:

(over) And the money?

HATEM SEIF EL NASR:

About the money, I have no knowledge, absolutely no knowledge. But I need to say something that might be not you know very politically correct now, but I don't think that we should forget that in the past twenty or thirty years Egypt had a leapfrog in its economy and the achievements of the last period in the economic front should not be forgotten. So it's fashionable now to speak only about the bad things.

ANDREW MARR:

Do you think he's being rather unfairly treated then by the international opinion?

HATEM SEIF EL NASR:

(over) No Egypt, Egypt under his watch has achieved quite a lot. Of course you know people do you know achieve things and there are things that needed to be achieved. But for these wonderful people who were in Tahrir Square, these were people well educated, these were people connected to the internet, to the social network. These are people who were you know …

ANDREW MARR:

And you don't think given the mood at the moment in Egypt, there's any likelihood of him being put on trial or anything like that?

HATEM SEIF EL NASR:

Egyptians have a deference for their leaders, and I think in our culture we have a lot of respect for our previous leaders from the monarchy going down.

ANDREW MARR:

Ambassador, thank you very much for joining us this morning.

HATEM SEIF EL NASR:

It's a pleasure. Thank you very much.

INTERVIEW ENDS

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