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 Egypt's Chief Judge Adly Mansour was sworn in as the country's Interim President on Thursday, a day after the military ousted President Mohammad Mursi following a week of massive protests."I swear to preserve the system of the republic, and respect the constitution and law, and guard the people's interests," Mansour said as he took the oath of office at a ceremony in the Supreme Constitutional Court.  In parallel, the authorities in Egypt issued an arrest warrant for the Muslim Brotherhood's Supreme Leader Mohammed Badie and his First Deputy Khairat El-Shater, AFP quoted a judicial source as saying.“The two are wanted on charges of inciting the killing Sunday of protesters in front of the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters in Cairo's southern neighborhood of Muqattam,” AFP added. Among the international reactions to the ouster of President Mohammad Mursi, was that of Britain, which assured that it will work with Egypt's interim authorities despite not supporting the military intervention that toppled Mursi. British Foreign Secretary William Hague insisted on Thursday that Britain had to be "practical" in dealing with the situation. “We have to work with whoever is in authority in Egypt," Hague told BBC radio, adding that “we have to do that for the safety of British nationals, we have to do that because there are so many British companies there.” Similarly, Turkey rejected the military intervention that ousted Mursi, and indicated that did not reflect the people's will, urging the country to "return to democracy". “The power change in Egypt was not a result of the will of the people. The change was not in compliance with democracy and law," Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said in Ankara, which has been facing similar protests against the ruling Justice and Development party. "In all democratic countries, elections are the only way to come to power," he said”. Everyone... who believes in democracy should naturally oppose the way this power change happened because a situation that cannot be accepted by democratic people has emerged in Egypt," said Bozdag, hoping that “Egypt would return to democracy, to a structure where the will of people prevails again.” For its part, the Syrian government hailed the ouster of Mursi, who lately decided to cut Egypt’s historic ties with Syria, considering it was a “great achievement”. “Syria's people, leadership and Army express their deep appreciation for the national, populist movement in Egypt which has yielded a great achievement,” Syrian state television said, citing an official source. On another hand, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that civilian rule in Egypt "should be resumed as soon as possible", and that the country's future leadership should reflect the Egyptian people's will. “It is a volatile situation (and) it is not clear where we are heading," Ban told journalists in Copenhagen, adding that "inclusivity" was key to any solution of the Middle Eastern country's woes. | ||||
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| Arab countries of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Jordan congratulated the powerful army in Egypt for its decision to oust embattled President Mohammad Mursi. Shortly after the army announcement late Wednesday, Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz congratulated the newly-appointed Egyptian i  nterim President, Adly Mansour.“In my own name and on behalf of the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I congratulate you on assuming the leadership of Egypt at this critical point of its history,” said the king in a cable carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). “By doing so, I appeal to Allah Almighty to help you to shoulder the responsibility laid on your shoulder to achieve the hopes of our sisterly people of the Arab Republic of Egypt.” King Abdullah also praised the armed forces. Egypt Army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah Sisi announced late Wednesday the ouster of Mursi, suspension of the constitution and the appointment of the Supreme Constitutional Court as a caretaker leader.  Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said his country was following the developments in Egypt with satisfaction, adding that UAE will continue to strengthen its bilateral relations with Egypt. Jordan also commented on the latest developments in Egypt, saying it respected the wishes of the Egyptian people as well as the role of the armed forces. On the other hand, Sudan said it hoped for peace and stability in its "sister" country Egypt, official media reported. Khartoum was following developments with concern in the hope "that peace and stability shall prevail," the state SUNA news agency said on Wednesday, citing a foreign ministry statement. | ||||
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| As they expressed concern over the Egyptian army interference in the political affairs of the country, Western countries called for elections and swift return to democracy in Egypt. Egypt Army chief Gen. Abdel F  attah Sisi announced late Wednesday the ouster of embattled President Mohammad Mursi, suspension of the constitution and the appointment of the Supreme Constitutional Court as a caretaker leader.US President Barack Obama urged a quick return to elected civilian government. "We believe that ultimately the future of Egypt can only be determined by the Egyptian people," Obama said in a statement after emergency talks with top aides. "Nevertheless, we are deeply concerned by the decision of the Egyptian Armed Forces to remove President Mursi and suspend the Egyptian constitution." He said had ordered a review of the legal implications for US aid to Egypt in the wake of the military's toppling of the elected leader. UN leader Ban Ki-moon said he understood Egyptians had "deep frustrations" but expressed concern over the army's intervention. Ban believed that "military interference in the affairs of any state is of concern," spokesman deputy UN spokesman Eduardo del Buey said. Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, condemning the bloodshed, called for a swift return to democracy. "I urge all sides to rapidly return to the democratic process, including the holding of free and fair presidential and parliamentary elections and the approval of a constitution," she said. She hoped the transitional administration announced by the new regime would be fully inclusive and that human rights and the rule of law would be respected, she added. "I strongly condemn all violent acts... and urge the security forces to do everything in their power to protect the lives and well-being of Egyptian citizens," said Ashton. For its part, Britain expressed concern at the army's intervention. "The situation is clearly dangerous and we call on all sides to show restraint and avoid violence," said Foreign Secretary William Hague. "The United Kingdom does not support military intervention as a way to resolve disputes in a democratic system," Hague said in a statement. He called for early elections in which all parties could take part and for a civilian-led government. A Canadian foreign ministry spokesman called for calm, dialogue between the rival parties and a return to democracy. | ||||
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