Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit warned Sunday the West to stay out of Arab affairs, days after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Arab leaders to work with their peoples to bring reforms.
Abul Gheit said Cairo would call on Arab nations attending an economic summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Wednesday to issue a statement concerning "attempts by some Western and European nations to interfere in Egyptian and Arab affairs."
"We hope that the summit will adopt Egypt's proposal, which would be a message from the Arab to the Western and European world saying 'Do not dare interfere in our affairs," he was quoted as saying by the official MENA news agency.
On Thursday, Clinton urged Arab leaders to work with their peoples to implement reforms or see extremists fill the void, warning the "region's foundations are sinking into the sand."
The region's peoples "have grown tired of corrupt institutions" Clinton told Arab counterparts in Qatar attending the Forum for the Future, a 2004 US initiative aimed at promoting such partnerships.