World Condemns Egypt Crackdown

There has been strong international condemnation of the deadly
crackdown against protest camps in the Egyptian capitalCairo.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said the events were"deplorable" and
"a real blow to reconciliation efforts".
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon also deplored the use of force.
The interim government has declared a state of emergency and a curfew
was in force across parts of Egypt overnight, reports the BBC.
Protesters had been demanding the reinstatement of President Mohammed
Morsi who was ousted by the military on 3 July.
The Muslim Brotherhood, which backed the protests, said more than
2,000 people died when security forces moved in to clear the two camps
- in Nahda Square and near the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque.
The interim government said 235 civilians had been killed nationwide,
as well as 43 police officers. The figures cannot be independently
verified.
Interim Prime Minister Hazem Beblawi defended the operation, saying
the authorities had to restore security.
But Kerry said it had dealt a "serious blow" to Egypt's political
reconciliation efforts.
"This is a pivotal moment for all Egyptians," he said. "The path
toward violence leads only to greater instability, economicdisaster
and suffering."
The office of UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he regretted that Egyptian
authorities had chosen to use force to respond to the demonstrations.
Ban was "well aware that the vast majority of the Egyptian people want
their country to go forward peacefully in an Egyptian-led process
towards prosperity and democracy," a statement said.
Ms Ashton "strongly condemned" the violence and called for"utmost restraint".
"Only a concerted effort by all Egyptians and the international
community might lead the country back on a path to inclusive
democracy, and overcome Egypt's challenges," she said.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said the violence was"not going
to solve anything".
"What is required in Egypt is a genuine transition to a genuine
democracy. That means compromise from all sides," hesaid.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Wednesday's events were
a "very dangerous" escalation of violence and France demanded an
"immediate end to the repression".
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office called
theviolence "a serious blow to the hopes of a return to democracy".
In a televised address, Interim PM Hazem Beblawi expressed regret for
the loss of life and said the state of national emergency would be
lifted as soon as possible.
The measure imposes a curfew in Cairo and several other provinces
between 19:00 local time (17:00 GMT) and 06:00.
Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim said the police had "dealt
professionally" with the protesters, and accused the
pro-Morsiprotesters of firing birdshot at police.
The protest sites had been infiltrated by armed gangs, he said, and
ammunition had been seized from them.
Across the country, members of the Muslim Brotherhood had been
arrested and were being interrogated, Ibrahim said.
Following the violence, Vice-President Mohammed ElBaradei announced
his resignation from the interim government.