FG REJECTS OVERTHROW OF EGYPT’S PRESIDENT MORSI

The Federal Government said on Thursday that it received the news of the removal of Egypt’s President, Mr. Mohammed Morsi, and the suspension of the country’s constitution with grave concern,

Morsi was overthrown by the country’s military after days of protest near the Presidential Palace.

In a statement in Abuja, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the development as “a truncation of the aspirations of the Egyptian people to freely express themselves through the ballot box.”

It added, “This unfortunate development is a gross violation of the Constitutive Act of the African Union, which prohibits unconstitutional change of government. It constitutes a serious setback to the remarkable progress which Africa has made in fostering the culture of democratic governance in the continent.

“Nigeria calls for the immediate restoration of the democracy order in Egypt and urges the Egyptian Armed Forces to allow the democratic culture to thrive in the country.”

Meanwhile, South African Government has said it has immediately begun the withdrawal of all non-essential personnel from its embassy in Cairo.

The  International Relations Department of South Africa was quoted on Thursday by the News Agency of Nigeria, as saying, “All non-essential personnel and families attached to the South African Embassy in Cairo will be temporarily withdrawn until the situation allows for their return,” Clayson Monyela spokesperson for department said in a statement.

However, a report by NAN and Reuters said Israel’s Government on Thursday avoided any show of satisfaction over the ouster of Morsi by the army.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, declined any comment on the issue.

But a Netanyahu confidant, Tzachi Hanegbi, was quoted as expressing the hope that the appointment of Adli Mansour would lead to the restoration of contacts with Cairo.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who holds sway in the occupied West Bank, on his part, offered praise for the Egyptian army, saying it had preserved security.

Source: Punch