Egypt has refused to allow Dutch MP Raymond de Roon to enter the country.

Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders said the new regime is "just as barbaric” as the previous one.

The parliamentary foreign affairs commission has decided to cancel the entire visit. It says it up to the Dutch parliament to decide who is in the delegation.

Freedom Party MP De Roon believes he was refused a visa because “Egypt did not like my characterising the expulsion of 95,000 Christians since March 2011 as ethnic cleansing.”

“It would have been better if Egypt had said: come along and we’ll show you there is no ethnic cleansing” he added.

Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders was furious and called it a shameful decision by a small-minded country.
He added that nothing has changed in Egypt and the new regime is "just as barbaric” as the previous one.

Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal said it was “the kind of thing you have to deal with” in a country in transition towards democracy but has summoned the Egyptian ambassador for an explanation.

(imm)