Global leaders urge immediate reforms as chaos grips Cairo
The Egyptian government must begin political reforms immediately, European leaders demanded today amid violent clashes on the streets of Cairo.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said work towards a new government must be “rapid and credible, and it needs to start now”, while French President Nicolas Sarkozy insisted that change must commence “without delay”.
German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle said the outbreak of violence in Cairo raised “the pressing question as to whether the political leadership in Egypt has understood the necessity of fast democratic rebuilding”.
The chaos in Cairo, in which protesters who are opposed to President Hosni Mubarak clashed with his supporters and some foreign journalists were attacked, was the first significant violence after more than a week of peaceful anti-government demonstrations.
Speaking during a visit to London, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: “I once again urge restraint to all sides. Any attack against peaceful demonstrators is unacceptable and I very strongly condemn it.”
In Brussels, European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said: “We’ve been very clear that Mr Mubarak has to respond to the will of the people and that the demonstrations are a manifestation of that will.
“The words we use are ’transition’ and ’transformation’ – those are words with a sense of urgency to them.”
Sweden’s outspoken foreign minister Carl Bildt was more blunt, saying: “The Mubarak era in Egyptian politics is over.”
In the United States meanwhile, Washington criticised the Egyptian government and condemned the violence.
A day after US President Barack Obama pressed Mr Mubarak to loosen his grip on power immediately, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Washington “deplores and condemns the violence that is taking place in Egypt”.
“We are deeply concerned about attacks on the media and peaceful demonstrators,” he added in a statement. “We repeat our strong call for restraint.”
