Egypt: Friday of ‘anger’ or restraint?

Agence France-Presse

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Islamists in Cairo call for more rallies on Friday, but the head of the UN Security Council urges restraint

BURNING STREETS. A supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood and Egypt's ousted president Mohamed Morsi gestures during clashes with police in Cairo on August 14, 2013, as security forces backed by bulldozers moved in on two huge pro-Morsi protest camps, launching a long-threatened crackdown that left dozens dead. Photo by AFP / Mosaab el-Shamy

UNITED NATIONS – The Argentine president of the UN Security Council urged all parties in the crisis in Egypt to exercise “maximum restraint” Thursday, August 15, following an emergency meeting in New York.

Argentine Ambassador Maria Cristina Perceval said that the Council’s 15 member states had “deplored the loss” of life in Cairo and called for an end to the violence and to advance “national reconciliation.”

In Cairo, Islamists called for a “Friday of anger” after a crackdown on protesters that killed nearly 600 people nationwide, as Washington scrapped a joint military exercise in response.

“Anti-coup rallies tomorrow will depart from all mosques of Cairo and head towards Ramsis square after (traditional Friday) prayer in ‘Friday of Anger’,” Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Gehad al-Haddad wrote on his Twitter account.

The call raised fears of fresh violence after the death toll from nationwide clashes following Wednesday’s operation to clear two camps of supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi rose to 578, making it Egypt’s bloodiest day in decades.

There were renewed attacks on security forces during a tense day on Thursday, with at least 7 soldiers and a policeman killed in the Sinai peninsula and another police officer killed in the central city of Assuit.

With the country under a state of emergency and many provinces hit by night-time curfews, the interior ministry ordered police to use live fire if government buildings came under attack.

Cancellation of exercises

International criticism of the bloodshed poured in and the United Nations Security Council launched emergency consultations on the crisis at the request of France, Britain and Australia.

President Barack Obama led the international outrage at the bloody crackdown, announcing the cancellation of a joint US-Egyptian military exercise.

“While we want to sustain our relationship with Egypt, our traditional cooperation cannot continue as usual when civilians are being killed in the streets and rights are being rolled back,” he said.

But despite scrapping the Bright Star exercise, which has been scheduled every two years since 1981, he stopped short of suspending Washington’s annual $1.3 billion in aid to Egypt.

Meanwhile, the US State Department warned citizens not to travel to Egypt and called on those already there to leave. – Rappler.com

 

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