Egypt probes deadly sectarian clashes, first victims buried

CAIRO: Egypt’s military rulers ordered a speedy probe into clashes which killed 25 people, mostly Coptic Christians, as the cabinet held crisis talks and thousands attended the funerals of 17 victims.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) “tasked the government with quickly forming a fact finding committee to determine what happened,” in a statement read on state television Monday as world leaders urged restraint.

It called for “all measures against all those proven to have been involved, either directly or by incitement”.

Both the ruling military council and the cabinet held crisis talks, a day after the clashes in Cairo left 25 dead, most of them Copts, and more than 300 people injured, according to health ministry figures.

The SCAF, which took power when President Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February, stressed it “continues to bear national responsibility to protect the people” until it hands over to an elected civilian authority.

Thousands of people attended a service at the Copt cathedral here late Monday for the funerals of 17 demonstrators.

Live television showed the coffins being brought in a procession from the Copt hospital in downtown Cairo where autopsies were carried out.

The coffins, each bearing the victim’s name and flowers arranged in a cross, were lined up in the cathedral for the funeral service before being taken out for burial.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said US President Barack Obama was “deeply concerned” about the violence.

“Now is a time for restraint on all sides so that Egyptians can move forward together to forge a strong and united Egypt,” he said.

“As the Egyptian people shape their future, the United States continues to believe that the rights of minorities – including Copts – must be respected, and that all people have the universal rights of peaceful protest and religious freedom.

“These tragic events should not stand in the way of timely elections and a continued transition to democracy that is peaceful, just and inclusive.”

A “deeply saddened” UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged the Egyptian military authorities to defend “all faiths” in the country.

The Congregation for Eastern Churches at the Vatican slammed the “senseless violence”, with Cardinal Leonardo Sandri telling Vatican Radio he hoped it “would not lead as well to a climate of precariousness and difficulty” for Copts.

Egyptian military prosecutors began questioning 25 people accused of involvement in the clashes, state news agency MENA reported, after a security official said 40 were arrested overnight.

Copts had been protesting against an attack earlier this month on a church in the southern city of Aswan when the violence erupted.

Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church led by Pope Shenuda III accused “infiltrators” of triggering the street battle on the Nile waterfront.

“The Christian faith denounces violence. Strangers infiltrated the demonstration and committed the crimes for which the Copts have been blamed,” a Church statement said after Shenuda met 70 Church leaders.

“Copts have suffered repeated problems without accountability for the aggressors,” it said, calling on authorities to “solve the root causes of the problems”.

European leaders in Luxembourg expressed alarm at the Cairo clashes.

“It is very important that the Egyptian authorities reaffirm the freedom of worship,” British Foreign Secretary William Hague said.

“We can only call on the Egyptian government to get to the bottom of these incidents as soon as possible and bring those responsible to justice,” Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert told journalists.

And EU foreign policy Chief Catherine Ashton urged Egypt to move towards elections “with a desire to see all people part of those elections and to protect the people, whoever they are, wherever they come from, whatever belief and faith they have.”

A curfew was imposed overnight Sunday-Monday in parts of the Egyptian capital.

In a late-night address, Prime Minister Essam Sharaf appealed to Egyptians “not to give in to sedition” and warned the country was “in danger”.

At least five of the dead were mown down by a speeding army vehicle which swerved to hit protesters, a Coptic priest said, while an AFP correspondent saw bodies with gunshot wounds at the hospital.

The grand imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed Tayyeb, the Sunni religious head, called for crisis talks between Muslim and Christian leaders “in a bid to contain the crisis”, state television said.

Some commentators warned of civil religious strife, but others said the clashes were fuelled not only by sectarian strife but also by anger towards the security services and the military council which succeeded Mubarak.

Government-backed provocation was also blamed.

Users of social networking sites such as Twitter said the initial clashes outside the state television building on the Nile were provoked by “thugs” at the scene, while the broadcaster was accused of fanning anti-Coptic sentiment.

On Monday, the authorities announced the hanging of a man sentenced to death for shooting six Copts last year.

Copts complain of systematic discrimination, but since Mubarak’s fall, tensions have also mounted between the military – initially hailed for not siding with Mubarak – and groups which spearheaded the revolt.

Source: http://www.dawn.com/2011/10/11/egypt-probes-deadly-sectarian-clashes-first-victims-buried.html

Military ruler says Egypt in a critical phase

CAIRO: Egypt’s military ruler said on Thursday the country was going through a critical period, particularly on the security and economic fronts, and called for national unity to achieve a democratic state under civilian rule.Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, delivering a televised address to mark the 1973 war against Israel, also said disagreements and mistrust have plagued the period following the uprising that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak in February.

Protesters and political groups have widely criticised Tantawi for his reluctance to implement sweeping changes and dismantle elements of the former regime.

“Egypt is going through a critical period of its history. It is witnessing a comprehensive transformation of its national course … as changes and crises loom in the horizon,” Tantawi said. “People, despite their different political and non-political orientations, must realize the ramifications and what it takes to get out of that rough road.”

“Our great people … will be able to get over this critical and decisive phase of its history by agreeing on national goals, and protecting its unity and seeking a modern civil state based on sound democratic principles,” he said. He added that the ruling generals are working to overcome disagreements and mistrust that have plagued the transitional period, and address the looming economic and security problems.

Government officials have been sounding alarm bells about worsening economic indicators in Egypt since the revolt that toppled Mubarak on Feb. 11. They point to declining foreign reserves and tourism revenues, as well as a growing trend among local investors to withhold their cash because of uncertainty over the nation’s political and economic future.

A rise in crime and lawless has raised tensions in Egypt, where security forces have yet to redeploy in full since disappearing from the streets during the mass uprising.

Complicating the situation is growing mistrust between Egypt’s news political actors and the ruling generals, who took over from Mubarak in February. Activists and political groups are increasingly critical of the generals’ management of the transitional period, which they promised it would be a six-month period.

Eight months since Mubarak’s fall, the military rulers have yet to give a clear timetable of their plan for handing over power.

Instead, they have floated a proposal which would hold presidential elections by late next year. This prompted several presidential hopefuls to propose their own demands, asking the military to arrange for presidential elections by April.

Tantawi dismissed such claims on Wednesday, insisting the military rulers have no intentions of clinging to power.

Tantawi’s speech Thursday also provided him the opportunity to praise the role of the country’s armed forces, in the face of rising criticism of the military rulers. During the 1973 war, the Egyptian military recovered from its stinging defeat in the
1967 Mideast conflict — when Israel captured the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, the West Bank and east Jerusalem — to attack the Israeli military and restore Egyptians’ faith in their military.

Fighter jets soared over the Nile in downtown Cairo to commemorate the anniversary Thursday, leaving a trail of red, blue and white smoke. “A salute to the great Egyptian people who were patient, and put up with burdens and challenges, and supporting its Armed Forces, trusting that its stronghold,” he said.

Some Egyptians, however, chose to commemorate the event with a visit to Mubarak, who was the nation’s air force chief during the 1973 conflict, at the hospital where he is staying during his trial over his alleged role in the killing of hundreds of protesters during the uprising.

Dozens of his supporters brought flowers and banners, one of which called Mubarak “The leader of war and peace,” a security official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.—AP

Source: http://www.dawn.com/2011/10/07/military-ruler-says-egypt-in-a-critical-phase.html