CAIRO: Egypt’s army-installed government said yesterday it would give a chance for mediation to resolve the crisis brought on by the overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Mursi, but warned that time was limited.
At the same time, a Cairo court announced that the leader of Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood and his deputy will face trial in three weeks’ time for crimes including incitement to murder during protests in the days before he was toppled. That could complicate efforts by international envoys and Egyptian factions to launch a political process, encourage national reconciliation and avert further bloodshed.
But an imminent battle between security forces and thousands of Mursi supporters standing their ground in two protest camps in Cairo appeared less likely while the mediators talked.
The National Defence Council, made up of civilians and soldiers, said in a statement it backed mediation “that protects the rights of citizens regardless of their affiliations and that spares blood, as long as that happens in a defined and limited time.”
The statement was issued one day after US and European envoys met separately with members of the new government and allies of Mursi. The crisis has led Egypt to its most dangerous days since a popular uprising in February 2011 ended US-backed strongman Mubarak’s 30-year rule and raised hopes of a new era of democracy.
Mursi became Egypt’s first freely-elected leader in June 2012. But fears that he was tightening an Islamist grip on the country and his failure to ease the economic hardships led to huge street demonstrations, culminating in the army ousting him on July 3. Reuters
