Cairo has held onto its position in the investigation into the murder of Italian researcher Giulio Regeni, days after the head of Italy’s lower house of parliament said he will suspend ties with Egypt’s legislature.
Middle East News Agency (MENA) quoted on Sunday a judicial source as saying that a meeting between Egyptian and Italian prosecutors took place earlier this week in an "atmosphere of transparency".
Regeni, 28, was conducting a research on unions in Egypt when he went missing in Cairo on January 25, 2016. He was found dead by the side of the Cairo-Alexandria desert road eight days later, his body showing signs of torture.
Egypt has repeatedly rejected allegations that security services may have been involved in his killing, as the judicial authorities of both countries continue to investigate the murder.
The unnamed judicial source pointed out that the Italian prosecutor's office reiterated its request made in December 2017 for the approval of Egypt’s prosecution to include some Egyptian policemen on the list of suspects, MENA reported.
The Attorney General's Office in Egypt rejected this request during previous meetings with the Italian side because of lack of such precedence in Egyptian law.
During the meeting, the officials also discussed Regeni's visit to Egypt with a tourist visa and not the visa required for conducting PhD research on Egyptian independent syndicates.
The source reported that the Italian side had promised to conduct an in-depth investigation into the matter, to present its findings during upcoming meetings between the two sides.
On Friday, Italian Speaker Roberto Fico announced the parliament has decided to suspend its parliamentary relations with the Egyptian legislature until the ongoing investigation into the death of Regeni reaches a conclusive result.
But Egypt's parliament regretted the decision, saying it was "surprised" by the Italian chamber's "unilateral" move and calling for the non-politicization of legal issues.
"This is a premature and unilateral decision that does not serve the investigation into the death of Mr. Regeni," said the Egyptian statement, adding that the Italian parliament’s decision is a hasty conclusion and does not serve the objective of revealing the truth and reaching justice in this case.
Egypt's parliament said "it is committed to the rule of law, not intervening in the work of the investigation authorities, and so unilateral measures do not serve the interests of the two countries."
Also Friday, Italy's foreign ministry formally summoned the Egyptian ambassador to Rome to prompt authorities in Cairo to "act rapidly" in the investigation.
