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CAIRO/WASHINGTON. — Egyptian vice president, Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, announced his resignation in a letter to the interim president yesterday seen by AFP. The resignation comes after scores were killed in a crackdown by security forces on loyalists of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. “It has become too difficult to continue bearing responsibility for decisions I do not agree with and whose consequences I fear,” ElBaradei said.
He said his conscience was troubled over the loss of life “particularly as I believe it could have been avoided”.
“Unfortunately those who gain from what happened today are those who call for violence and terror, the extremist groups,” he said.
Meanwhile, the United States yesterday strongly condemned Egyptian forces’ bloody crackdown on protesters and denounced the imposition of a state of emergency.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest urged the Egyptian military to show restraint after a crackdown on supporters of deposed elected president Mohamed Morsi.
“The United States strongly condemns the use of violence against protesters in Egypt,” Earnest told reporters.
“Violence will only make it more difficult to move Egypt forward on a path to lasting stability and democracy and runs directly counter to the pledges by the interim government to pursue reconciliation,” he said.
Egypt’s army-installed authorities declared a one-month state of emergency as it cleared out two large protests by Mori supporters.
“We also strongly oppose a return to a state of emergency law and call on the government to respect basic human rights such as freedom of peaceful assembly and due process under the law,” Earnest said.
“The world is watching what is happening in Cairo.
“We urge the government of Egypt and all parties in Egypt to refrain from violence and resolve their differences peacefully,” he said.
The United States has repeatedly called for restraint but has refused to describe the army’s July 3 ouster of Morsi, an Islamist, as a coup.
The designation of a coup would bind the Obama administration to halt the US$1,5 billion in annual military aid to Egypt. — AFP.
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