Meloni, Tajani called as witnesses in Regeni case (7)

(ANSA) - ROME, FEB 13 - Premier Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani have been called as witnesses on April 3 in the case of Giulio Regeni, the Italian student tortured to death in Cairo in early 2016, judicial sources said Monday.
    Meloni and Tajani have been called by a lawyer for Regeni's parents to report to a Rome preliminary hearings judge (GUP) about Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's asserted willingness to collaborate with Italian authorities in the case, which has ground to a halt amid Egypt's refusal to release the addresses of four Egyptian intelligence officers so they can be notified they are being tried in absentia for the January-February 2016 abduction, torture and murder of the 28-year-old Friuli born Cambridge University doctoral researcher, whose work into trade unions was politically sensitive and who was so badly mutilated his mother only recognised him by the tip of his nose.
    Sisi has repeatedly promised to work with Rome prosecutors over the case but no such collaboration has been forthcoming.
    A Rome trial of the four officers - National Security General Tariq Sabir and his subordinates, Colonels Athar Kamel Mohamed Ibrahim and Uhsam Helmi, and Major Magdi Ibrahim Abdelal Sharif - has been stymied by unsuccessful efforts to inform them they are on trial, because of Egypt dragging its heels on the case.
    Regeni's parents have described Italian officials' apparent willingness to believe Sisi's reiterated willingness to cooperate in the case is at best naive, and at worst self-serving.
    They have condemned continued Italian cooperation with Cairo on energy and arms, among other things. (ANSA).