Egypt Leaders Order 'All Necessary Measures' To Clear Muslim Brotherhood Protests
https://nigeriaafrica1.blogspot.com/2013/07/egypt-leaders-order-necessary-measures.html
Egypt's new leaders have ordered police to clear the streets of Muslim Brotherhood protesters, in a dramatic escalation of the country's political crisis after the failure of the EU's foreign affairs representative Baroness Ashton to forge a compromise.
The cabinet on Wednesday night issued an order to the interior ministry to take "all necessary measures" to end long-running sit-ins by supporters of the deposed president, Mohammed Morsi, at a mosque in north-east Cairo and in another square to the west.
"The continuation of the dangerous situation in Rabaa al-Adawiya and Nahda squares, and consequent terrorism and road blockages, are no longer acceptable given the threat to national security," its statement, read out on live television, said.
"The government has decided to take all necessary measures to confront and end these dangers, and tasks the interior minister to do all that is necessary in this regard, in accordance with the constitution and law."
Anti-regime activists immediately warned the statement was a thinly-veiled threat of a new massacre, after protesters came under fire near the mosque on two occasions since the coup which removed Mr Morsi. More than 50 died on the first occasion, and 80 on the second, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
There have been large numbers of women and even children camped out at the mosque, scene of a women's protest on Tuesday afternoon.At the same time, the prosecution authorities announced they were charging the three top leaders of the Brotherhood with inciting the killing of protesters outside its headquarters in Cairo last month.
Lady Ashton met all sides of the impasse between the military leadership, the interim government and the Muslim Brotherhood-led opposition, including Mr Morsi himself, on a visit to Egypt earlier this week.
However, both sides said she had no new initiative to offer, after the Brotherhood rejected previous proposals for Mr Morsi to give up his demands to be reinstated in return for release from prison.
The German foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, is to visit on Thursday, while Bernardino Leon, the EU's Middle East envoy, will also continue her efforts to mediate, her spokesman said.
A spokesman for the foreign ministry said the government welcomed the EU's interest but was making no offers of compromise to the Brotherhood.
"There is no deal on offer to them," the spokesman, Badr Abdelatty, said. "Reconciliation is open to them."
The authorities have invited the Brotherhood to rejoin the political process, but it has refused to do so unless Mr Morsi is reinstated.
"The continuation of the dangerous situation in Rabaa al-Adawiya and Nahda squares, and consequent terrorism and road blockages, are no longer acceptable given the threat to national security," its statement, read out on live television, said.
"The government has decided to take all necessary measures to confront and end these dangers, and tasks the interior minister to do all that is necessary in this regard, in accordance with the constitution and law."
Anti-regime activists immediately warned the statement was a thinly-veiled threat of a new massacre, after protesters came under fire near the mosque on two occasions since the coup which removed Mr Morsi. More than 50 died on the first occasion, and 80 on the second, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
There have been large numbers of women and even children camped out at the mosque, scene of a women's protest on Tuesday afternoon.At the same time, the prosecution authorities announced they were charging the three top leaders of the Brotherhood with inciting the killing of protesters outside its headquarters in Cairo last month.
Lady Ashton met all sides of the impasse between the military leadership, the interim government and the Muslim Brotherhood-led opposition, including Mr Morsi himself, on a visit to Egypt earlier this week.
However, both sides said she had no new initiative to offer, after the Brotherhood rejected previous proposals for Mr Morsi to give up his demands to be reinstated in return for release from prison.
The German foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, is to visit on Thursday, while Bernardino Leon, the EU's Middle East envoy, will also continue her efforts to mediate, her spokesman said.
A spokesman for the foreign ministry said the government welcomed the EU's interest but was making no offers of compromise to the Brotherhood.
"There is no deal on offer to them," the spokesman, Badr Abdelatty, said. "Reconciliation is open to them."
The authorities have invited the Brotherhood to rejoin the political process, but it has refused to do so unless Mr Morsi is reinstated.
