Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit on Saturday said the US and Egypt are bound by cordial, friendly and strategic ties, but still, Egypt cannot accept any interference in its affairs from any of its friends.

How can one speak about and judge the domestic political process in Egypt before it even starts, it is a matter of concern to the Egyptian people who will decide, and this is what will happen at Monday's public referendum, he said at a joint press conference with visiting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

He was responding to Friday's comment by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in which she criticised the "abbreviated timetable" of holding a referendum over constitutional amendments in Egypt.

Only the Egyptian people have a say in these amendments, it is an Egyptian issue, Abul-Gheit said.