Hollande and Merkel call for end to bloodshed in Egypt

RFA English 16-08-2013: France’s President François Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday called for urgent consultation within Europe to deal with the crisis in Egypt. The two leaders spoke by phone, after nearly 600 people died across Egypt on Wednesday.

Hollande and Merkel called for an immediate end to the violence in Egypt during their phone conversation, and said that dialogue between Egyptians was necessary in order for the country to get democracy back.

But the two leaders also called for a concerted effort within Europe. In a statement by Paris’s Elysee Palace, Hollande and Merkel said they hoped that “the ministers of foreign affairs from within the [European] Union could meet quickly, next week, in order to take stock on the cooperation between the European Union and Egypt, and to elaborate on possible common responses.”

Representatives from the EU’s 28 member states will meet on Monday in Brussels to discuss the situation in Egypt.

Hollande was to continue discussions on the violence there on Friday evening with British Prime Minister David Cameron.
Following Hollande and Merkel’s meeting, Germany’s foreign ministry widened its travel alert to all of Egypt, after previously only putting Cairo and parts of the Nile River Delta on the list.

During an interview with Frankfurt daily Allgemeine Zeitung, Merkel said that “violence must under no circumstances be used as a solution to political problems.”

Meanwhile on Friday, supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi protested in several cities in Egypt to condemn Wednesday’s bloodshed.

At least five Morsi supporters were killed during protests, while gunfire was heard at two demonstrations in the capital Cairo.