Tuesday, July 30, 2013

EU Envoy Meets With Egyptian 'Rebel' Leaders

Egyptian people respect those who respect their will, 'Rebel' tells Ashton

Ahram Online, Monday 29 Jul 2013

Leaders of Egypt's anti-Morsi 'Rebel' campaign tell EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton that they reject a safe exit without trial for Mohamed Morsi

Leaders of the anti-Morsi 'Rebel' (Tamarod) campaign met with European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in Cairo on Monday and stressed they reject "deals" and a safe exit for Mohamed Morsi and other leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Ashton is in Cairo for talks following the killing of at least 80 supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi during violent clashes with the police early on Saturday morning.

"Everyone involved in bloodshed must be subject to a fair trial," Mahmoud Badr, one of the leaders of Rebel said, according to a statement on the group's official website.

"We asked her if she would personally accept an armed sit-in to be set up under her house, one that would force her to go to her home before being searched thoroughly and would turn the gardens surrounding her house to places for people to sleep, and would construct toilets in them," read the statement.

In her second visit to Egypt this month, Ashton is meeting members of Egypt's current transitional government as well as members of the Muslim Brotherhood who are firmly demanding Morsi's reinstatement.

Badr said the delegation told the EU's top diplomat that the Egyptian people respect those who respect their will and "all countries must respect our will."

He also posed her a question about whether European nations would allow sit-ins by Al Qaeda in their cities, pointing out that "black flags of Al Qaeda are present at all of the pro-Morsi rallies."

The archaic black flag carrying "there is no God but Allah" in white is used by Al-Qaeda. It has appeared in numerous Islamist and Brotherhood rallies in Egypt over the past two years.

The Rebel campaign supported calls by army chief and defence minister Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for Egyptians to rally against "terrorism" last Friday, a message thought to be implicitly aimed at the Brotherhood. Huge numbers of Egyptians heeded El-Sisi's call to demonstrate. Police gunned down Morsi's supporters later that night.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/77754.aspx

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