U.S. STRONGLY CONDEMNS VIOLENCE IN EGYPT
Washington, 17 Rabiul Awwal 1434/29 January 2013 (MINA) – The U.S. strongly condemned the recent violence in Egypt on Monday (28/1), calling on Egyptians to express themselves “peacefully.”
White House Spokesman Jay Carney told reporters “we strongly condemn the recent violence that has taken place in various Egyptian cities.”
“We look to all Egyptians to express themselves peacefully and for all Egyptian leaders to make clear that violence is not acceptable,” he stressed, according to Kuwait news agency (KUNA) report received by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA), Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Carney noted “we welcome serious calls for national dialogue to avoid further violence and to find peaceful means to move forward with the political process and building national unity.”
“Egyptians participated in their revolution to bring about democracy and freedom, not to pursue their goals through violence,” he remarked.
He reiterated “we urge all Egyptians to peacefully utilize the democratic process as they continue to engage with their government.”
He noted “we have engaged directly with the Egyptian government as they move forward on the difficult path towards greater democracy and rule of law, and we will continue to do so.”
He added “we look to the government of Egypt to adhere to the right of all Egyptians to have due process. There needs to be a lasting solution to the conflict that we see in Egypt, and it has to be a solution that adheres to the rights of all Egyptians.”
“We extend our condolences to the families of those who were killed and to those who were injured,” he said.
For her part, State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters in her briefing “like the Egyptian people, we of course look to the Egyptian government to bring to justice who were responsible for deaths and injuries, whether they were sustained by protesters, whether they were sustained by the police, and we obviously look to see this done in line with due process.”
“We’re obviously watching how this moves forward. We are watching how the emergency law put in place will be applied, given the very sensitive history of this in Egypt. What’s most important is that the Egyptian government respects the rights of all Egyptians to due process going forward,” she stressed.
She affirmed “we’ve been gratified to see the president and his government renew their call for national dialogue to avoid further violence and to find a peaceful way to move forward.” (T/P011/E1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
