By The Associated Press
Egyptians walk among the burned remains of the Rabaah al-Adawiya mosque, in the center of the largest protest camp of supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi, that was cleared by security forces, in the district of Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2013. The death toll keeps going up in Egypt after security forces swept through two sit-in sites yesterday, operated by supporters of former President Mohammed Morsi. An Egyptian Health Ministry spokesman now says over 400 people died in the violence that has prompted international criticism. (AP Photo/Ahmed Gomaa)
Official reaction Thursday from governments around the world to clashes between Egyptian security forces and supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi, in which hundreds of people were killed and thousands injured:
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UNITED STATES
President Barack Obama canceled joint U.S.-Egypt military exercises, saying America’s traditional cooperation with Egypt “cannot continue as usual” while violence and instability deepen in the strategically important nation. Obama said his administration would look at possible further steps, but he gave no indication the U.S. planned to cut off its $1.3 billion in annual military aid to Egypt. “America cannot determine the future of Egypt,” Obama said in his first statement since violence erupted Wednesday. “That’s a task for the Egyptian people.”
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IRAN
Iran’s new president is calling on the Egyptian army to stop “suppressing” the Egyptian people. “I warn Egypt’s military that Egyptians are a great and freedom-seeking nation. Do not suppress them,” President Hasan Rouhani in a speech in parliament broadcast live on Iranian state TV. He condemned what he said was army “brutality.”
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RUSSIA
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has urged its citizens to refrain from traveling to Egypt. The Russian Tourism Board had estimated that up to 60,000 Russian travelers were now in Egypt. Russian tourists have been advised to avoid big cities and rallies but diplomats have not urged Russians to stay away from the country altogether.
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TURKEY
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the West of ignoring violence in Egypt and called on the U.N. Security Council to meet urgently to discuss the situation. Erdogan also said Egypt’s leaders should stand trial “in a fair and transparent way” for what he termed a “massacre.”
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FRANCE
French President Francois Hollande summoned Egypt’s ambassador and said “everything must be done to avoid civil war.” In a statement issued after the meeting, Hollande also said he “condemned in the strongest way possible the bloody violence in Egypt and demanded the immediate end to the repression.”
“The liberation of prisoners, while respecting the ongoing judicial procedures, could constitute a first step toward renewing negotiations,” Hollande added.
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GERMANY
Germany’s Foreign Office summoned the Egyptian ambassador. Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, speaking from Tunis, said the ambassador was told “that the bloodshed must come to an end now.” Germany also “strongly discouraged” its citizens from traveling to Egypt, especially Cairo, the Nile Delta and the Nile River tourist areas of Luxor and Aswan. The beach resorts of Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheik were not affected.
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ITALY
Italian Foreign Minister Emma Bonino summoned the Egyptian ambassador because of the “very grave” developments and “dramatic” violence. The ministry advised Italians against traveling in Egypt, except for resorts including Sharm el Sheikh and Marsa Alam as well as El Alamein on the north coast.
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TUNISIA
The president of Tunisia’s governing moderate Islamist party, Ennahda, said Wednesday’s violence was “a disaster resulting from overturning the legal & constitutional order.” In an emailed statement, Rachid Ghannouchi added: “Our message to our brothers and sisters in Egypt: you will defeat dictatorship and your peaceful struggle will defeat blood and bullets.”
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ARGENTINA
Argentina, which holds the rotating presidency of the U.N. Security Council this month, condemned “the brutal repression against popular protests that won the streets of the main cities of Egypt.” It urged authorities to “totally and immediately cease the spiral of violence loosed in recent days against unarmed citizens.”
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NORWAY
Norway said it had frozen export licenses for military equipment to Egypt.
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BAHRAIN
Bahrain said the crackdown was necessary “restore security, stability and public order.” The official Bahrain News Agency also said that Bahraini authorities urged dialogue and reconciliation.
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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
The United Arab reaffirmed its support for the crackdown. “What is regretful is that political extremist groups have insisted on the rhetoric of violence, incitement, disruption of public interests and undermining of the Egyptian economy, which has led to the regretful events today,” it said in a statement Thursday in English. The UAE provided $3 billion of the $12 billion total financial aid promised by wealthy Arab Gulf nations to Egypt following Morsi’s overthrow.
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DENMARK
The Danish government halted aid to Egypt worth 30 million kroner ($5.3 million).
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PAKISTAN
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged restraint on all sides and called for the Egyptian government to release political prisoners. “The government of Pakistan expresses its dismay and deep concern over the use of force by the Egyptian security forces against unarmed civilians,” the statement said.
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AFGHANISTAN
The Afghan government condemned the “killing of civilian protesters” and expressed hope that “our brothers and sisters in Egypt to find a peaceful political solution soon.”
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SWEDEN
Sweden-based Electrolux told its 6,700 employees in Egypt to stay at home for a second day. Electrolux spokesman Daniel Frykholm said the company would reassess the situation on Sunday.
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SPAIN
Spain’s government said it is calling the Egyptian ambassador in for talks on Friday to express its regret at the violent crackdown and also to convey its condemnation of the “attacks on public buildings and churches.”
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VATICAN
Pope Francis urged prayers for “peace, dialogue and reconciliation for that dear land.”
