3 February 2011 Six people were killed and hundreds wounded in attacks on anti-government protesters in Cairo, prompting new calls from his Western allies for President Hosni Mubarak to begin handing over power immediately.
Following is reaction from around the world on Thursday:
GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER GUIDO WESTERWELLE “I spoke to representatives of the opposition including ElBaradei, and it’s completely obvious that this is a matter for the political opinion makers in Egypt to decide for themselves who shapes the democratic transition and how.
“This requires beginning with a direct exchange of ideas, a peaceful dialogue, and we are counting on progress here today since otherwise i am afraid that — in view of Friday prayers tomorrow — there will be another escalation of the situation.
“Who governs Egypt or who will be in control of the transition process in Egypt is a matter that has to be discussed and decided in Egypt between the government and the representatives of the opposition.
U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA “We pray that the violence in Egypt will end and that the rights and aspirations of the Egyptian people will be realised and that a better day will dawn over Egypt and throughout the world.”
MICHAEL SPINDELEGGER, AUSTRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER “I urge the Egyptian leadership not to let batons do the talking nor to block the media, but to be responsible and to deal with the demands of the demonstrators.
“The demonstrators and their valid demands cannot be silenced by violence. The political forces in the country must to everything to avoid a further escalation.
“It is more important than ever that speedy talks between the opposition and government take place so that the situation does not spiral further out of control.”
GREEK PRIME MINISTER GEORGE PAPANDREOU “Egyptian people want change, democratic rights, liberties.
“All these need to be established, also constitutionally. It is necessary that this transition to democracy, these changes take place with credibility, stability, that they happen quickly and without violence.
“I believe these democratic changes will give a new strength to Egypt, a new more powerful role which we will welcome for the region and the Arab world.”
U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN P.J. CROWLEY “She (Secretary of State Hillary Clinton) emphasized, again, (to Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman) our condemnation of the violence that occurred today, encouraged the government to hold those responsible fully accountable for this violence.”
IINTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND SPOKESWOMAN CAROLINE ATKINSON “We just don’t know yet how the economic situation will develop because it is not yet clear how the political situation will develop.
“There is an issue of who is in charge of what now.”
E.U. FOREIGN AFFAIRS CHIEF CATHERINE ASHTON “I urge the Egyptian authorities to immediately take the necessary measures to ensure that the law enforcement authorities protect the demonstrators and their right to assembly freely.
I have made clear that it is the responsibility of the army and law enforcement to protect its citizens.
Last night we were sending messages to the Egyptian authorities in phone calls and other messages, saying ‘look, you have to get the army in to protect the people, you have to make sure that we’ve got ambulances able to get in and out of the square’.
The scenes last night were extremely disturbing.”
BRITAIN, FRANCE, GERMANY, ITALY AND SPAIN - JOINT STATEMENT “We are observing a deterioration of the situation in Egypt with extreme concern.
We condemn all those who use or encourage violence, which will only worsen Egypt’s political crisis.
Only a rapid and orderly transition towards a broadly representative government will allow Egypt to overcome the challenges that it is facing.
This process of transition must start now.”
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The Khaleej Times is a daily English language newspaper published in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It provides general news and information.
It is published by Galadari Brothers, and was the second English daily in the UAE when it was founded in 1978, October 1. The newspaper is also part-owned by the government of the UAE, and its main competitor is the Gulf News.
