Kahf MASSA - CAIRO (AP) Egypt is
reevaluating its relationship with Syria following the military's ouster of
Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, the country's foreign minister said
Saturday.
In his first public comments since becoming Egypt's
top diplomat, Nabil Fahmy said Cairo continues to support the Syrian uprising
but that Egypt has no intention of supporting a jihad - or holy war - in Syria.
"Everything will be re-evaluated," Fahmy
told reporters in Cairo. Meanwhile, Jordan's King Abdullah met with Egypt's new
leaders Saturday in the first visit by a head of state to Cairo since the
popularly-backed military coup. A statement from Egypt's presidency said the
king voiced his support for the "national choices" made by Egyptians during
a meeting with interim President Adly Mansour, the country's army chief
Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi and other high-level officials.
Jordan's government had been concerned with the rise
of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and disruptions to gas exports due to
militant attacks on the pipeline in the northern Sinai Peninsula. The Jordanian
offshoot of Egypt's Brotherhood has driven street protests against the
government in Amman.
Jordanian officials are wary of the region's wave of
uprisings that began in 2011. Morsi, a Muslim Brotherhood member who came to
power after the uprising against Hosni Mubarak, had made supporting the Syrian
opposition in its fight against President Bashar Assad a cornerstone of his
foreign policy. Cairo also is the official headquarters of the main
Western-backed Syrian opposition group.
Just weeks before Morsi was deposed on July 3, a
senior presidential aide said authorities would not prevent Egyptians from
traveling to Syria to join the rebel cause. Morsi also attended a rally on June
15 in which hard-line clerics called on Sunni Muslims to join the fight in
Syria. Speaking at the rally, Morsi announced he was severing diplomatic ties
with Damascus.
The foreign minister said Egypt is seeking a political
solution to the three-year crisis in Syria, which has killed more than 90,000
people, according to the United Nations. "Egypt supports the (Syrian)
revolution and the Syrian people's right to live in dignity within the
framework of a democratic system and we will work to achieve that goal,"
Fahmy said.
While in office, Morsi launched an initiative with the
aim of finding a regional political solution. Since Morsi's ouster, his critics
have accused Syrians living in Egypt of participating in the protests calling
for him to be reinstated. Television networks critical of Morsi aired
allegations that his Muslim Brotherhood backers were paying Syrian refugees to
take part in pro-Morsi protests.
Cairo's new military-backed interim government swiftly
imposed travel restrictions on Syrians, who for decades were able to enter
Egypt without a visa. The main Syrian opposition coalition has criticized the
shift toward those seeking refuge in Egypt from the war, calling on authorities
to ensure that "Syrian people living in Egypt, under such dire circumstances,
are not used to achieve certain political ends."
The arrest of at least six Syrians accused of taking
part in violent street clashes further fanned the flames. Clashes have erupted
into violence several times since Morsi's ouster, killing more than 60 people.
The most recent incident occurred Friday night in the Nile Delta city of
Mansoura when unidentified assailants opened fire at a Muslim Brotherhood-led
march, sparking a melee that killed three female protesters, authorities said.
Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi and Vice President
Mohammed ElBaradei condemned the incident in separate posts on Twitter, vowing
to bring the perpetrators to justice. El-Beblawi described it as "a
reprehensible crime that shames humanity." ElBaradei asked: "When
will we learn that violence aggravates problems and does not solve them?"
No arrests in the shooting had been announced
Saturday. Senior health ministry official Khaled el-Khatib said that doctors
were examining the bodies of the slain protesters Saturday. The Brotherhood
identified the victims and said they ranged in age from 20 to 45 years old. The
group says two were killed by gunshot and one died after suffocating on tear
gas.
The Brotherhood said the assault "sheds light on
the bloody nature of dictatorship and the police state under a military
coup." The group had called for Friday's protests to demand Morsi be
reinstated and to increase pressure on the new leadership.
Among the policy changes in post-coup Egypt, the new
foreign minister said Cairo is also "seriously assessing" its
relations with the Syrian regime's key regional backer Iran. Morsi moved to
improve diplomatic ties with Iran when he reached out to Tehran in a bilateral
deal to promote tourism and improve relations between the two countries.
"We are neither enemies nor allies with
anybody," Fahmy said of Cairo's ties with other nations. The foreign
minister said Egypt is also looking at its relationship with Ethiopia and
Turkey. Some Brotherhood officials have close business ties with Turkey and the
country's prime minister, wary of the pro-secular Turkish military's
intervention in politics, has condemned Morsi's ouster as
"unacceptable".
The ministry's spokesman Badr Abdel-Aaty said Saturday
Egypt is "very concerned" that Ethiopia has not replied to requests
to take part in technical consultations in Cairo over its construction of a
Nile dam. The project could leave Egypt with a dangerous water shortage. Before
his ouster, Morsi had vowed "all options are open" in dealing with
the dam's construction.
Associated Press writer Aya
Batrawy contributed to this report.
Mesir
untuk menilai semula hubungan Syria
selepas rampasan kuasa
Kahf
MASSA - CAIRO (AP) Mesir menilai semula hubungannya dengan Syria berikutan
penyingkiran tentera Presiden Islam Mohammed Morsi, menteri luar negara itu,
semalam.
Dalam komen pertama awam sejak menjadi diplomat atas
Mesir, Nabil Fahmy berkata Kaherah terus menyokong pemberontakan Syria tetapi
bahawa Mesir tidak mempunyai niat untuk menyokong jihad - atau perang suci - di
Syria.
"Semuanya akan dinilai semula," Fahmy kepada
pemberita di Kaherah. Sementara itu, Raja Jordan, Raja Abdullah bertemu dengan
pemimpin-pemimpin baru Mesir Sabtu di lawatan pertama oleh ketua negara ke
Kaherah sejak rampasan kuasa tentera yang disokong popular. Satu kenyataan
daripada jawatan presiden Mesir berkata raja menyuarakan sokongan beliau untuk
"pilihan negara" yang dibuat oleh orang-orang Mesir dalam pertemuan
dengan Presiden interim Adly Mansour, negara ketua tentera Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi
dan pegawai tinggi yang lain.
Kerajaan Jordan telah bimbang dengan kebangkitan
Ikhwan Muslimin di Mesir dan gangguan kepada eksport gas akibat serangan
militan pada paip di Semenanjung Sinai utara. Cabang Jordan Ikhwan Mesir telah
mendorong protes jalanan menentang kerajaan di Amman.
Pegawai Jordan berhati-hati dengan gelombang di rantau
ini, pemberontakan yang bermula pada tahun 2011. Morsi, ahli Ikhwan Muslimin
yang mendapat kuasa selepas pemberontakan terhadap Hosni Mubarak, telah membuat
menyokong pembangkang Syria dalam menentang Presiden Bashar Assad asas kepada
dasar luar negara beliau. Kaherah juga merupakan ibu pejabat rasmi yang
disokong Barat kumpulan pembangkang utama Syria.
Hanya beberapa minggu sebelum Morsi telah digulingkan
pada 3 Julai, seorang pembantu kanan presiden berkata pihak berkuasa tidak akan
menghalang orang-orang Mesir dari perjalanan ke Syria untuk menyertai punca
pemberontak. Morsi juga menghadiri perhimpunan pada 15 Jun di mana garis ulama keras
menyeru umat Islam Sunni untuk menyertai perjuangan di Syria. Bercakap pada
perhimpunan tersebut, Morsi mengumumkan beliau telah memutuskan hubungan diplomatik
dengan Damsyik.
Menteri Luar itu berkata Mesir mencari penyelesaian
politik untuk krisis 3 tahun di Syria, yang telah membunuh lebih 90,000 orang,
menurut Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu. "Mesir menyokong revolusi dan
hak rakyat Syria untuk hidup secara terhormat dalam rangka sistem demokrasi dan
kita akan berusaha untuk mencapai matlamat tersebut (Syria)," kata Fahmy.
Ketika di pejabat, Morsi melancarkan inisiatif dengan
matlamat untuk mencari penyelesaian politik serantau. Sejak penyingkiran Morsi
itu, pengkritik beliau telah menuduh Syria yang tinggal di Mesir mengambil
bahagian dalam protes memanggil beliau untuk dikembalikan semula. Rangkaian
televisyen kritikal Morsi disiarkan dakwaan bahawa penyokong Ikhwanul Muslimin,
beliau telah membayar pelarian Syria untuk mengambil bahagian dalam protes
pro-Morsi.
Kerajaan sementara yang disokong tentera baru Kaherah pantas
mengenakan sekatan perjalanan di Syria, yang selama beberapa dekad telah dapat
masuk ke Mesir tanpa visa. Pakatan Utama pembangkang Syria telah mengkritik
peralihan ke arah mereka yang mencari perlindungan di Mesir dari perang,
menyeru pihak berkuasa untuk memastikan bahawa "rakyat Syria yang tinggal
di Mesir, di bawah keadaan yang buruk itu, tidak digunakan untuk mencapai matlamat
politik tertentu."
Penangkapan sekurang-kurangnya 6 Syria dituduh
mengambil bahagian dalam pertempuran jalanan ganas. Pertempuran telah meletus
dalam keganasan beberapa kali sejak penyingkiran Morsi, membunuh lebih daripada
60 orang. Insiden terbaru berlaku malam Jumaat di Delta Nil bandar Mansoura
apabila penyerang tidak dikenali melepaskan tembakan pada Ikhwan Muslimin yang memimpin
perarakan, mencetuskan huru-hara yang mengorbankan 3 penunjuk perasaan wanita,
kata pihak berkuasa.
Perdana Menteri Hazem el-Beblawi dan Naib Presiden
Mohammed ElBaradei mengutuk kejadian itu dalam pos yang berasingan di Twitter,
bersumpah untuk membawa penjenayah ke muka pengadilan. El-Beblawi menyifatkan
ia sebagai "satu jenayah yang hina umat manusia." ElBaradei bertanya:
"Bila kita akan belajar bahawa keganasan memburukkan masalah dan tidak
menyelesaikan?"
Dalam menembak itu tiada tangkapan diumumkan hari
Sabtu. Kesihatan pegawai kanan kementerian Khaled el-Khatib berkata, doktor
telah memeriksa mayat penunjuk perasaan dibunuh Sabtu. Ikhwan mengenal pasti
mangsa dan berkata, mereka adalah antara dalam umur 20 hingga 45 tahun.
Kumpulan itu berkata, kedua-dua telah dibunuh oleh
tembakan dan satu mati selepas menyesakkan pada gas pemedih mata.
Ikhwan berkata serangan "bangsal cahaya pada
sifat berdarah diktator dan polis negara di bawah satu rampasan kuasa
tentera." Kumpulan itu telah dipanggil untuk protes Jumaat untuk menuntut
Morsi dikembalikan semula dan untuk meningkatkan tekanan kepada kepimpinan
baru.
Antara perubahan dasar selepas rampasan kuasa Mesir,
Menteri Luar yang baru berkata Kaherah juga "menilai serius" hubungan
dengan rejim Syria utama serantau penyokong Iran. Morsi berpindah untuk
memperbaiki hubungan diplomatik dengan Iran apabila dia sampai ke Tehran dalam
perjanjian 2 hala untuk menggalakkan pelancongan dan memperbaiki hubungan
antara kedua-dua negara.
"Kami bukan musuh dan tidak sekutu dengan
sesiapa," Fahmy berkata hubungan Kaherah dengan negara-negara lain.
Menteri Luar itu berkata Mesir juga melihat hubungannya dengan Ethiopia dan
Turki. Beberapa pegawai Ikhwan mempunyai hubungan perniagaan yang terletak
berhampiran dengan Turki dan negara Perdana Menteri, berhati-hati dengan campur
tangan pro-sekular tentera Turki dalam politik, telah mengutuk penyingkiran
Morsi sebagai "tidak boleh diterima".
Kementerian jurucakap Badr Abdel-Aaty kelmarin Mesir
adalah "sangat prihatin" bahawa Etiopia tidak menjawab kepada
permintaan untuk mengambil bahagian dalam perundingan teknikal di Kaherah ke
atas pembinaan sebuah empangan Sungai Nil. Projek ini boleh meninggalkan Mesir
dengan kekurangan air yang berbahaya. Sebelum kejatuhannya, Morsi telah
berikrar "semua pilihan yang terbuka" dalam menangani pembinaan
empangan.
Associated Press penulis
Aya Batrawy menyumbang kepada laporan ini.
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