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Canadian FM Has 'Constructive' Talks on Jailed Journalist in Egypt


Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird talks during a press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shukri at the Egyptian foreign ministry in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015.
Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird talks during a press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shukri at the Egyptian foreign ministry in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015.

Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird said he had "constructive" talks with his Egyptian counterpart about an Al Jazeera journalist who was arrested more than a year ago along with two of his colleagues.

Baird said Thursday after meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri that the case of Egyptian-Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy is "complex."

He also said officials are working toward resolving the situation "sooner rather than later."

Two weeks ago, an Egyptian court ruled that Fahmy would get a retrial along with Australian Peter Greste and Egyptian Baher Mohamed.

A court convicted the three men last year of supporting the banned Muslim Brotherhood, giving seven-year sentences to Fahmy and Greste and 10 years to Mohamed.

Al Jazeera has sharply criticized their detention, saying the journalists were doing their jobs reporting the news and not aiding the Brotherhood.

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