Millions seek resignation of Islamist president of Egypt

[Kondor3]

5 killed as millions seek resignation of Islamist president of Egypt

The Globe and Mail - SHAIMAA FAYED AND YASMINE SALEH CAIRO, Egypt — Reuters - Published Sunday, Jun. 30 2013, 8:28 AM EDT - Last updated Sunday, Jun. 30 2013, 9:41 PM EDT

Hundreds of thousands of opponents of Egypt’s Islamist president poured out onto the streets in Cairo and across much of the nation Sunday, launching an all-out push to force Mohammed Morsi from office on the one-year anniversary of his inauguration. Fears of violence were high, with Morsi’s supporters vowing to defend him.

Security officials said at least five people -- one in Beni Suef in northern Egypt and four in Assiut in the south -- were killed, and hundreds more injured in clashes across the country.

Waving Egyptian flags and carrying posters of Mr. Morsi crossed out in red, crowds packed central Cairo’s Tahrir square, the birthplace of the 2011 uprising against autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Thunderous chants of “erhal!”, or “leave!” rang out.

At the same time, a tidal wave of crowds marched on the Ittihadiya presidential palace, filling a broad boulevard for blocks and spilling over into nearby avenues. “You lied to us in the name of religion,” some chanted, and others raised a banner proclaiming, “MorsiMubarak. Early presidential elections.” The crowds, including women, children and elderly people, hoisted long banners in the colours of the Egyptian flag and raised red cards.

Near Ittihadiya palace, thousands of Islamists gathered in a show of support for Mr. Morsi outside the Rabia al-Adawiya Mosque. Some Morsi backers wore homemade body armour and construction helmets and carried shields and clubs — precautions, they said, against possible violence. Their crowd also swelled as sun went down and summer temperatures became more tolerable, but they were vastly outnumbered by anti-Morsi protesters thronging main roads and thoroughfares.

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5 killed as millions seek resignation of Islamist president of Egypt - The Globe and Mail

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Perhaps there's a sliver of hope for the Egyptians after all...

 

[waltky]

If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, an' squawks like a duck - it must be a duck...

U.S. defers judgment on Morsy ouster
July 9th, 2013 > The Obama administration is deferring judgment about whether President Mohammed Morsy was ousted in a coup while the Egyptian political process moves forward.

"There's an elephant in the room here," White House Press Secretary James Carney told reporters on Tuesday. "It is in our national interest – the best interest of the United States, and the best interest, in our view of our goal in assisting the Egyptian people, in their transition to democracy to take the time necessary to evaluate the situation before making such a determination." Another U.S. official was more blunt. "A policy determination has been made the meantime to call it nothing," the official told CNN. "We hope to be in a place where the determination is no longer an issue," the official added, referring to the political process underway in Egypt.

When is a coup not a coup?

The United States has been reluctant to choose sides in Egypt's political standoff, with officials stressing the main priority is minimizing violence and ensuring inclusiveness in the political process. Officials feared the United States could make things worse by inserting itself in the conflict, considering Morsy was ousted with broad public support. Moreover, no legal determination enables the United States to continue $1.3 billion in aid to Egypt, which it would have to cut off if a determination was made that a coup took place. Officials argued a collapse of the Egyptian economy would only further destabilize the country.

State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki told reporters that, "broadly speaking," the administration still believes that continuing military aid is a U.S. national security priority. The State Department and U.S. Embassy in Cairo are urging the military to shed any appearance of a coup and put in place a political process that moves the country on a democratic path. "We are telling the military to get the ball rolling, and avoid any appearance of military rule," another official said. "Appoint a prime minister, put a new cabinet in place and announce elections."

Egypt's military moves to allay fears of instability

Likewise the United States is calling all sides to engage in a political process and move the country toward elections, emphasizing the need for inclusiveness. Officials are trying to persuade the Muslim Brotherhood to move past the military action against Morsy and re-enter the political process. "We have emphasized that they need to engage in the political process and ensure they have a say in the final outcome," the second official said.

U.S. defers judgment on Morsy ouster ? CNN Security Clearance - CNN.com Blogs

See also:

U.S. avoids calling Egypt's uprising a coup
July 8th, 2013 > While America's top military officials continue in-depth discussions with their counterparts in Egypt, the Obama administration is looking how to map America's relations with the crucial Middle East ally.

Top officials huddled at the White House again on Monday to discuss the issue. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel once again talked with Gen. Abdel Fattah al Sisi, Egypt's defense minister. It's at least the fourth time Hagel has spoken to Sisi in the past week, both before and after his military deposed Egypt's first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsy, and put him under house arrest. Pentagon spokesman George Little said the conversations "have been lengthy and very candid." A defense official, who requested anonymity, says some of the calls "have lasted nearly two hours."

Meanwhile, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey has also had two calls with the chief of staff of Egypt's armed forces, Lt. Gen. Sedki Sobhi. The importance of the U.S.-Egyptian relationship, which has been developing since the Carter-era Camp David Peace Accords, is evidenced by how carefully government officials are avoiding labeling the past week's developments a "military coup." If Morsy's removal were to be called a coup, under U.S. law, more than $1 billion in military aid to Egypt would have to be slashed. Israel is concerned that such a cut could jeopardize the peace treaty between the two countries. Israel and Egypt are the two biggest recipients of American military aid.

The determination of whether a coup took place is generally made by the State Department's Legal Advisor Office. But State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki described it as an interagency process on Monday. Psaki also said that the fact tens of millions of Egyptians supported the move and did not consider this a coup would be factored into the deliberations. Senior U.S. officials say the administration is examining three potential options – calling events in Egypt a coup and cutting off aid; calling it a coup and issuing a national security waiver; or not determining it a coup, recognizing that the military has taken steps to move the country toward a civilian transitional government and move toward elections.

White House spokesman Jay Carney suggested what happens next will be very important. "Our relationship with Egypt is not limited to or defined solely by the assistance that we provide to Egypt. It is broader and deeper than that, and it is bound up in America's support for the aspirations of the Egyptian people for democracy, for a better economic and political future, and we support that," Carney said. "So our decisions with regards to the events that have happened recently in Egypt will be - and how we label them and analyze them will be made with our policy objectives in mind, in accordance with the law and in accordance with any consultation with Congress," he said.

U.S. avoids calling Egypt's uprising a coup ? CNN Security Clearance - CNN.com Blogs

 

[waltky]

Obama helpin' to unite Egypt - against us...

US messaging mess in Egypt complicates diplomacy
Aug 8,`13 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration's efforts to promote democracy in Egypt are being complicated by what many Egyptians see as mixed messages from Washington, exacerbating anti-American sentiment and threatening broader U.S. goals in the region.

Any administration might find it difficult to navigate Egypt's current political tumult, but some U.S. officials concede they have been unable to communicate a coherent policy. Officials also complain that their task has been made more challenging by the delicate line they must toe and by Sen. John McCain's recent statements calling the July 3 ouster of President Mohammed Morsi by the Egyptian military a coup.

The Obama administration has decided not to make a legal determination about whether the ouster was a coup, because that would trigger a cutoff of U.S. aid.

News from The Associated Press

 

[nia588]

Egyptians don't know what they want. Soon as the next guy comes in they'll be kicking him out.

Couple of my friends from Cairo can't even go and visit family because they afraid of the chaos