CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt summoned ambassadors from 27 European Union countries on Thursday to complain about a draft European Parliament resolution critical of the state of human rights in Egypt, the foreign ministry said.

In unusually harsh language, a ministry statement said: "It would be more appropriate for these countries to look at the systematic violations of human rights which their own citizens suffer before they rule on the state of other countries."

It said the ministry told the ambassadors that Egypt "categorically rejects the resolution submitted to the European Parliament on the state of human rights in Egypt".

"This resolution, if it passes, will have negative effects on Egyptian-European relations and will cast a shadow over the process of cooperation, coordination and consultation between the two sides," it added.

A draft of the European Parliament resolution, available on the Internet, calls for the immediate release of opposition politician Ayman Nour and for a change in the law on military courts, which the Egyptian authorities have sometimes used against the government's political opponents.

The resolution calls for an end to all forms of torture, for investigations into suspected cases, full independence of the judiciary, and an end to the harassment of rights activists.

Rights groups say the Egyptian authorities violate human rights routinely, especially through long detentions without charge and through the abuse of people in detention.

The speaker of the Egyptian People's Assembly (lower house of parliament), Fathi Sorour, said on Wednesday that his assembly would break off ties with the European Parliament if the resolution passes.

The text of the draft is available on this Web site: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&language=EN&reference=P6-RC-2008-0023