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Page added on August 15, 2013
Global condemnation of Egypt crackdown
World leaders, including the US, EU and the UN, have condemned the bloody security crackdown on anti-military protesters in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, in which hundreds were killed and thousands more injured.
| United States |
US Secretary of State John Kerry said the escalating violence had dealt a “serious blow” to political reconciliation efforts between the military-backed interim government and Morsi’s supporters.
“This is a pivotal moment for all Egyptians,” Kerry said. “The path toward violence leads only to greater instability, economic disaster and suffering.”
| European Union |
The bloc’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, “strongly condemned” the violence and called for Egypt’s security forces to “exercise utmost restraint”.
“Only a concerted effort by all Egyptians and the international community might lead the country back on a path to inclusive democracy, and overcome Egypt’s challenges,” she said.
| Turkey |
Turkey’s government harshly criticised the crackdown, with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s office calling the violence “a serious blow to the hopes of a return to democracy”.
It also blamed other unnamed countries for encouraging the government after Morsi’s ouster on July 3.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul warned that Egypt could descend into chaos, comparing the clashes to the crackdown in Syria that precipitated a civil war.
| United Nations |
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon denounced the violence and regretted that Egyptian authorities chose to use force to respond to the demonstrations.
Ban is “well aware that the vast majority of the Egyptian people want their country to go forward peacefully in an Egyptian-led process towards prosperity and democracy,” according to a statement from his office.
Ban urged all Egyptians to focus on reconciliation.
| Hamas |
The Hamas-run government in Gaza condemned the “use of force and bloodshed” in Egypt. In a short statement, Hamas said authorities should use “peaceful political solutions” in dealing with the crisis.
| Tunisia |
Rachid Ghannouchi, president of Tunisia’s governing moderate Islamist party Ennahda, called the crackdown an “abject crime”.
He expressed solidarity with the pro-Morsi backers’ bid to “recover their freedom and oppose the coup d’etat”.
The ouster in 2011 of Tunisia’s leader, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, triggered the Arab Spring, which spread to Egypt.
| Germany |
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said the government was “extremely worried” about the “very dangerous” escalation of violence, indirectly criticising the leadership for its crackdown on the Muslim
Brotherhood.
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesperson, Steffen Seibert, said the “decisive principle” must be “that the human rights of all Egyptians, independent of their political direction and conviction, have to be respected and protected.”
| Jordan |
Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood has urged its Egyptian peers to continue protests, saying their victory will help the group rise to power elsewhere in the Arab world.
The Brotherhood’s political arm, the Islamic Action Front, also warned Egypt’s military rulers they have fallen into a “conspiracy” hatched by the US and Israel to weaken Muslims.
Brotherhood protesters staged a protest outside the Egyptian Embassy in Amman and rebuked Egypt’s military rulers as a “tool for corrupt and tyrant military regimes”.
| Britain |
British Prime Minister David Cameron said the violence is “not going to solve anything”.
“What is required in Egypt is a genuine transition to a genuine democracy. That means compromise from all sides,” he said.
Cameron added that he was sorry to hear about the death of Sky News cameraman Mick Deane in the violence, saying his thoughts are with Deane’s family and friends.
“It is essential that cameramen are in places like Egypt because otherwise none of us would know what is happening.”
| Iran |
Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the crackdown, warning the violence “strengthens the possibility of civil war”.
“While denouncing the violent crackdown and condemning the massacre of the people, it expresses its deep concern regarding the undesirable consequences” of the events, the ministry said in a statement.
| France |
France demanded an “immediate end to the repression,” condemning the “the bloody violence” in unusually strong language.
Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said an “urgent international position” reflecting this must be reached, and called on Ban and Paris’ main partners to contribute.
“The current situation will not be resolved by force,” a statement from Fabius said. He called on all sides to “without delay open a dialogue that includes all Egyptian political forces to find a democratic end to this grave crisis”.
The minister said France was immediately available to help bring sides together.
| Kuwait |
Hundreds of people demonstrated against Egypt clearing the sit-in protests, chanting slogans against military leader General Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who led the coup against Morsi’s government.
One cleric urged Kuwaiti citizens to demonstrate on Friday outside of the US Embassy over the violence in Egypt.
Kuwait’s government previously pledged an aid package worth $4bn to Egypt following the ouster of Morsi.
| Italy |
Italian Foreign Minister Emma Bonino appealed to all sides in Egypt to do what they can to immediately stop the explosion of violence and “avoid a bloodbath”.
She added that it was essential that security forces “exercise maximum self-control; likewise, everyone must avoid every incitement to violence”.
| Qatar |
The energy-rich Gulf state of Qatar said it “strongly condemns” the violence in Egypt.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry urged Egyptian authorities to refrain from security crackdowns on demonstrations.
It also said the best way out of the crisis is through peaceful dialogue.
11 Comments on "Global condemnation of Egypt crackdown"
Arthur on Thu, 15th Aug 2013 8:55 pm
Saudi-Arabia: no comment.
Plantagenet on Thu, 15th Aug 2013 11:36 pm
What is important is what countries do, not what they say.
For instance, while Kerry and obama blather on about the violence, the real story is that the Obama administration is still officially pretending that that the military takeover in Egypt is not a coup, and the Obama administration has said it will continue to send the Egyptian military over a billion dollars per year.
bobinget on Fri, 16th Aug 2013 12:08 am
Plantagenet speaks the truth.
Anytime a government feels they need to say something for domestic consumption about a foreign nation’s internal difficulties, they always
“deplore” “condem” and rattle on on how dangerous these violent actions have become.
First of all,
Egypt is not Syria. There will be NO extended civil war. The Army has the Muslim Brothers hopelessly out-gunned. Those billions in military aid we have been sending to Egypt is an elaborate con to sell heavy, mostly obsolete weapons. Good for terrifying civilians and little else. By the same token, no other army in the region dares go up against the Egyptian Military.
Arthur, KSA hates the Brotherhood and will support the status quo.
In my judgement, the Muslin Brothers will do hit and run actions against Christians and isolated army and police outposts in a similar fashion to Boku Haram in Nigeria. As in Nigeria, one by one, the leadership of The Brotherhood will be ‘eliminated’. IMO, in fewer then 12 months the Egyptian economy will begin to return to ‘normal’.
bobinget on Fri, 16th Aug 2013 12:17 am
I hasten to add.
Crude oil being diverted to Egypt to calm choppy waters, will create shortages with those consumers
first contracted.
Then, of course the big question remains; How often will KSA keep changing the band-aid? If perchance the Brotherhoods should by some weird series of events, prevail, relief oil will stop. (everyone knows this)
Arthur on Fri, 16th Aug 2013 4:21 am
“KSA hates the Brotherhood and will support the status quo.”
Indeed. But the Saudi’s will feel very uncomfortable in that position as they are exposed as the satraps that they are of the Washington infidel in the eyes of the Arab street.
The MB is nearly one century old and is not going to disappear overnight. I don’t think peace will return to Egypt.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_Brotherhood
In a comparable situation in Algeria in the early ninetees, hundred thousand people or so died (keyword FIS)
The MB has acquired new martyrdom and prestige where KSA and Egyptian military are completely dependent for their survival on the US, a ver precarious situation.
mack on Fri, 16th Aug 2013 5:03 am
I don’t Egypt will ever return to “normal”. They peaked in oil production in 1995 and have been in continious decline while their domestic consuption steadly increases. In 2010 the two lines met and they no longer had surplus oil to export. Without that surplus oil they have no foriegn exchange with which to import wheat or oil or anything else to make up the short fall. Presently the KSA and other countries are giving them money and oil to stabilize them but they can not do this forever. Because soon they may have problems of their own. This is just the first chapter of the collapse of Egypt. In 30 years they will have no oil at all because the KSA will have none to export. This is Egyptian Peak Oil.
Arthur on Fri, 16th Aug 2013 7:05 am
Here a scenario that could easily materialize in Egypt:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algerian_Civil_War
Population: 25-31 million
Duration: 1991-2000
Deaths: 44-220k
Combattants: secularist army against fundamentalist muslims.
Like in Egypt, the muslims had won the elections after which the army intervened.
But compared to 1991, muslims have become more radicallized. They have seen that their enemies can be defeated, like in Afghanistan and Iraq. They have seen that secularists can be defeated like in Turkey and in Iraq and Iran and Libya or can be brought in great trouble like in Syria. They have seen in the example of the EU that individual countries can form a new political entity. They know that US power is in decline and that Russia and China are rising, creating new political options. It is therefor unlikely that the victory of the Egyptian army will be anything else tham temporary.
bobinget on Fri, 16th Aug 2013 3:30 pm
Sticking to topic, Algeria, unlike Egypt has lots of untapped oil reserves.
http://www.blog.kpmgafrica.com/algeria-oil-reserves/
My point, put forward with little subtlety: What we are witness to in Egypt is a direct, buy not solely, effect
of Peaked Oil.
Nigeria had a civil war that was nominally about religion. Most of the one million Nigerians who died certainly thought as much. The conflict that continues to this day takes advantage of the poverty of education, tribalism, superstition, that stalk that oil cursed region.
Bottom line, who ever controls EXPORT oil revenue controls the military.
Coincidence? Syria is another Arab state whose oil reserves had reached a point where revenue from exporting was just enough to support arms purchases and elegant lifestyles of a “one percent”.
At a certain point when the military gain control of most business activity, they have the most to lose.
This is also certainly the case in Egypt.
The Brotherhood leadership wants peaceful demonstrations. But, so did the majority of Syrian People.
So common are violent agitators, the French named them ‘agent provocateur’ in the 19th century.
Armed individuals who blend in with peaceful throngs
and make trouble by firing their weapons at police
or at demonstrators themselves.
As we know the Brothers are outgunned and outnumbered. It is stunning how many people are willing to die for a ’cause’. Even more surprising how many so called ‘law-enforcment’ people can be induced to firing into a crowd.
bobinget on Fri, 16th Aug 2013 3:51 pm
This just reported on Aljazeera.
Helicopter gunships are firing randomly on demonstrators.
This is the story I intended to repost here.
Saudi King back Egypt’s Military…
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/08/201381615196784361.html
Duke on Sat, 17th Aug 2013 7:03 am
I learned about peak oil in 2004 and went to Egypt in 2005. I’m glad I got to see the Temples, Museums and Pyramids. I could see this coming when I was there. If anyone has any exotic destinations they want to see in their lifetime I suggest they travel now or be shut out forever.
Arthur on Sat, 17th Aug 2013 10:16 am
Indeed Duke, I went there too in 2005, taking advantage of the otherwise very expensive Four Seasons hotel but now came at half prize because 90 people had been killed in a jihadist bombing in a neighbouring hotel a few months earlier.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Sharm_el-Sheikh_attacks
Visited the pyramids twice, walked around through the museum in Cairo for three hours with a very sympathetic and civilized Egyptian retired professor (probably Coptic Christian) who hired himself for private guided tours and learned a lot about Egypt. Already in 2005 the bus trip from Cairo to the southern tip of the Sinai along the Suez canal already prompted several stops with visibly heavily armed soldiers thoroughly searching the bus.
Duke has a point, if you want to visit a destination like the Middle East, Turkey, China, Indonesia or even New Zealand, you better do it now. Egypt is possibly already too late to visit for the rest of your lifetime.