CAIRO: Egypt yesterday summoned the ambassadors of several European countries after they signed a joint declaration of concern over Cairo’s crackdown on dissent.
The military-installed authorities have launched a deadly crackdown on ousted Islamist president Mohamed Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood movement since the army toppled him in July.
Last week, 28 countries — including Britain, France, Germany and Denmark, and the United States — denounced what they said was a “disproportionate use of lethal force by (Egyptian) security forces against demonstrators which resulted in large numbers of deaths and injuries”.
Egypt’s foreign ministry delivered “a strongly worded message of protest” to ambassadors of several European nations, said Hazem Seif El Nasr, who heads the ministry’s European affairs.
The envoys were also informed of “Egypt’s categorical refusal of any attempts at interference in its internal affairs,” Seif El Nasr said. He said last week’s declaration had “omitted the steps taken by the state towards democratic transition”.
AFP
