ANKARA: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that ousted Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Mursi was the only legitimate president of Egypt in an interview with a Turkish newspaper.
“Currently, my president in Egypt is Mursi because he was elected by the people,” he told the pro-government Today’s Zaman. “If we don’t judge the situation like that it is tantamount to ignoring the Egyptian people,” he added. Erdogan, who is also leader of the Islamic-rooted Justice and Development party (AKP), which hold close ties with Mursi’s party, had already declared the ousting of the president in early July a “coup”.
Merkel calls for release of Mursi
BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday called for the release of Egypt’s former president Mohamed Mursi, who was arrested on July 3 after being deposed by the army.
She said she agreed with her Foreign Affairs Minister Guido Westerwelle “that Mr Mursi should be released” and called for “an inclusive (political) process involving all groups of the Egyptian population”, speaking with public broadcaster ARD.
Since then, Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood movement has led demonstrations against the ouster, urging an “uprising” after accusing troops and police of “massacring” its supporters during dawn prayers on Monday when 51 people were killed.
Westerwelle had on Friday urged Mursi’s release and demanded that a “neutral institution” immediately be granted access to him. The United States also called for Mursi’s release and again condemned a wave of arbitrary arrests of members of his Muslim Brotherhood.Agencies
