World lets Egypt down by not condemning Brotherhood crimes

[DJKeefy]

World lets Egypt down by not condemning Brotherhood crimes: Egypt FM

Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Nabil Fahmy emphasised national sovereignty in decision-making in a press conference on Sunday in the face of international criticism for using "excessive force" in dispersing pro-Morsi sit-ins on Wednesday.

Egypt makes the decisions when it comes to its national security and in general all decisions are made domestically, he asserted at foreign ministry headquarters.

Fahmy argued that the international community is letting down Egypt by not condemning violence from the side of the Muslim Brotherhood and their allies.

Hinting to withdraw aid is, furthermore, unacceptable he asserted.

Although the government rejects foreign meddling in Egypt’s domestic issues, he stated that international attention and initiatives are welcome, but, again, decisions will remain Egyptian.

"Internationalising Egypt's situation" he argued, increases polarisation and may cause a setback in reconciliation efforts and the path to democracy specified in the military and oppositions' new political roadmap.

Fahmy asked that the international community to understand that Egypt is undergoing a transitional period where "the country’s political identity is being shaped."

“In total truth, the future will not be for the political Islamist current nor for the secular current only, it will include both,” he added.

Regarding the reasons vice president for foreign relations Mohamed ElBaradei – an world-renowned, high-profile opposition figure - resigned, the Foreign Minister declined to comment.

Elbaradie stated in his resignation letter "It has become hard for me to keep bearing responsibility for decisions that I did not approve of and warned against their consequences," adding "I cannot be responsible before God for a single drop of blood."

A foreign ministry spokesman said on Saturday that Fahmy called a number of European foreign ministers and diplomats.

In intensified efforts to explain to the international community the current Egyptian situation, Fahmy spoke to UK Foreign Secretary William Hague, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and European Union Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton.

"[He told them the Brotherhood and allies are] terrorising citizens, attacking governmental institutions, hospitals, churches, places of worship, causing a dangerous escalation against the country and its institutions and a threat to domestic peace and security," the spokesman detailed.

Also, Fahmy reportedly criticised the international community’s alleged silence towards these criminal acts, which can no longer be called peaceful protesting. Their silence encourages armed groups to continue murdering and using violence and intimidation, he asserted.

The responsibility of any government that "respects itself and its people" is to provide security and impose public order within the context of the law.

Fahmy also declared the need for Egypt to move forward and implement the roadmap to democracy.

Several countries reacted to the bloody crackdown of the dispersal of pro-Morsi sit-ins in Cairo's Rabaa Al-Adawiya and Giza's Nahda Square. On Thursday, the United States said it will review aid to Egypt "in all forms" after US President Barack Obama cancelled joint military exercises with Egypt next month in response to the bloody clampdown by Egyptian security forces.

Obama urged Egypt's authorities to lift the imposed state of emergency and allow peaceful protests, but stopped short of suspending $1.3 billion in annual military aid.

Denmark announced on the same day it has suspended development aid to Egypt.

The German government also announced it was suspending 25 million Euros in aid to Egypt for climate and environmental protection projects.

The UN Security Council on Thursday urged all parties stop the violence and exercise maximum restraint after the 15-member council met in an emergency session on the Egypt situation

Source: http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/79330.aspx

[LovelyLadyLux]

The Sunday morning news shows talked lots about Egypt here this morning. The USA attitude is apparently to be hands off and to keep aid going as they see this as giving them an element of leverage.......

[Stevepj]

The Sunday morning news shows talked lots about Egypt here this morning. The USA attitude is apparently to be hands off and to keep aid going as they see this as giving them an element of leverage.......

Well if aid does give influence then its the Saudis and UAE who are pulling the strings in Egypt. Their aid dwarfs that of the US and EU.

[Robstarr]

The World needs to take a step back at this time & reflect on the "Bigger Picture"
All was not as it seemed in Egypt post revolution in 2011,never underestimate the courage & resilience of the good people of Egypt.

[Hafiz]

So Fahmy is having difficulty in convincing the west of the badness of the Morsi government (and the goodness of this one). Poor man.

All western countries have their embassies in Egypt and access to local human rights data and this informs their opinion which is that they don't like army coups but accept that Morsi failed to unite the country. There is not a single western country which has welcomed the coup and that won't change any time soon. They don't need Fahmy to tell them what is going on.

On the positive side Syria was one of the first countries to welcome the coup

The hysterical rhetoric of the military regime about terrorism only has currency in Egypt

[pdmlynek]

I am not privy to all of the nuances of Egyptian politics, but very simplistically, it seems to me that Morsi et al won the election, thus he should be the president. Overthrowing a democratically elected government simply because a lot of people do not like it, does not seem legitimate

[LivinginLuxor]

I can't agree with that point. Ok, Morsi was democratically elected, but to be honest, what choice did the voter have - he/she was between a rock and a hard place. Shafik was Mubarak's man through and through, so a vote for him would be a vote for the bad old days. Or so it was thought. After a year or so of Morsi, the voters could see their mistake - the cronyism, the appalling ineptness of his government, such that another 4 years of his reign would make Egypt a total basket case, rather than the partial one it is now.

The words of the American Declaration of Independence sum up the situation perfectly for me.

"Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government"

[FABlux]

"I refuse the notion that the ballot box is the end. The former president himself betrayed the ballot box. If a president promised a certain project and started breaking his promise from day one, should people be expected to remain silent?

"Real democracy is rule of the people by the people, not a particular group."

The above quote is from the first television interview by the interim president yesterday, full speech here:-

http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/80742.aspx

Interesting reading

[Remus]

'it seems to me that Morsi et al won the election, thus he should be the president' says
pdmlynek above.

An interesting article by Nicholas Wade on the subject of Egyptian
democracy and polling: 'What poll results reveal about Brotherhood's
popularity':

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world.middle.east-23846680

This takes a rather different line from the one we have become used to from
the BBC.

[Billy_whiz]

That last link from Remus doesn't work for me

BBC News BBC Sport
404 - Page Not Found

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[Remus]

Oops - sorry Billy_whiz. Try this corrected link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23846680

I've tested this one and it works ....

[Billy_whiz]

Thanks very much Remus, that one works

[jewel]

I agree with PDM I mean it's just like the UK, we have an inept PM and cabinet......who are destroying our environment and wildlife, and a sizeable majority want OUT, but you see, because we live in a "democracy" we wait until we can vote 'em out ( and make no mistake they will be out at the next election). What WOULD it be like if we called the army in to eject them and then let them take over??? Unthinkable, but just what has happened in Egypt, so this could explain why "the world" at large has kept stum, as every country has it's problems at the moment.

[Brian Yare]

I agree with PDM I mean it's just like the UK, we have an inept PM and cabinet......who are destroying our environment and wildlife, and a sizeable majority want OUT, but you see, because we live in a "democracy" we wait until we can vote 'em out ( and make no mistake they will be out at the next election). What WOULD it be like if we called the army in to eject them and then let them take over??? Unthinkable, but just what has happened in Egypt, so this could explain why "the world" at large has kept stum, as every country has it's problems at the moment.

Jewel,

You live in cloud cuckoo land so far as politics in the UK are concerned. Where do you find your sizeable majority, and how can you be sure that the next General Election will change anything.

It is my opinion that the Labour party is incapable of winning anything in the near future, and the main threat to the present Government comes from other conservative parties intent on splitting the vote.

It will be a very interesting campaign and election, but the outcome cannot yet be predicted.

[LivinginLuxor]

Memories are short! During the Wilson administration, it was strongly rumoured (in Spycatcher) that senior generals were preparing to remove Harold's government, due to its handling of the economy, being seen to be only slightly to the right of Russia, and run the country until they could restore the Conservatives!

[A-Four]

Oh true Stan, very true,.......and where certain element were more, oh so much more than highly 'economical with the truth'.

[Hafiz]

LivinginLuxor. The Spycatcher line is even stranger than you have said. Some elements of the security system feared that Wilson was an agent of influence/leaking information to/presided over a cabinet that included agents of Russia. From memory, Wright regarded these theories as further evidence of the decadence of the security services and their opposition to a democratically elected government that did not include the 'right' people.

Running an agenda against the government that isn't composed of the "right" people and on major issues isn't as rare as you might think. In the 2nd WW the security services, the aristocracy (eg. Westminster, Halifax, Londonderry and (maybe) Hamilton) and the Royal Family (Dukes of Kent, Windsor and Gloucester) were all appeasers during the war and some of them with more extreme views.The King tried to stop Churchill from appointing at least 2 men whom he regarded as cads/unsuitable/not 'our' type of person. So there are lots of examples of the security services running amok and of those with power working against the elected government.

Unlike the Wilson case, the dogs of the security services in the 2nd WW should have been put on the scent of some lofty and anti-democratic animals.

[LivinginLuxor]

I've often wondered why Hess flew to Scotland, in the hope of presenting peace negotiations with the Duke of Hamilton. It does seem that much of the British Establishment at the time were fairly pro-Nazi (including the exiled Edward VII).

[Remus]

Forgive the correction, but he had been Edward Vlll and I think was
exiled as the Duke ....

And mention of Wilson should remind us of how many 'D Notices' he
issued to gag the press.

[Brian Yare]

I've often wondered why Hess flew to Scotland, in the hope of presenting peace negotiations with the Duke of Hamilton. It does seem that much of the British Establishment at the time were fairly pro-Nazi (including the exiled Edward VII).

Stan

Edward VII died on 6th May 1910. He would have to be exhumed before being exiled. You must be thinking of his grandson, Edward VIII.