Morsi not qualified to lead Egyptians: Iran parl. official<\/p>\n
A file photo of a massive protest rally against ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi in Cairo\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s Liberation Square<\/p>\n
An Iranian parliamentary official says the ousted Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi, was not fit for leading the civilized nation of Egypt as he failed to meet public demands.\n<\/p>\n
\u00c5\u201cUnfortunately, Morsi failed to give a good answer to people\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s demands both on domestic and foreign levels, and this [failure] resulted in people’s disgruntlement,\u201d Hossein Sheikholeslam, Iran Majlis Director General for International Affairs, said on Thursday.\n<\/p>\n
Sheikholeslam referred to the Morsi administration\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s ties with the Israeli regime and his support for Salafi militants fighting against the Syrian government as major factors which eroded his popularity.\n<\/p>\n
He added that Morsi\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s silence on the killing of the Shia cleric, Sheikh Hassan Shehata, and a number of his disciples by Salafi extremists in Giza Province in June dealt the last blow to Egyptians\u00e2\u201e\u00a2 trust in their president.\n<\/p>\n
Sheikholeslam, however, noted that Tehran does not approve of the rule of a military junta over Egypt and believes that the intervention of the army in the country\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s political developments must be temporary.\n<\/p>\n
\u00c5\u201cThe Islamic Republic … calls for the [Egyptian] people\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s demands to be met only through legal channels and by holding free and broad-based elections to ensure the highest participation of people, parties and other political currents,\u201d he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The Iranian official further expressed hope that sectarian strife would be avoided in Egypt and that people play a more prominent role in deciding the future of their country.<\/p>\n
After days of massive anti-government protests in Egypt, the military overthrew Morsi’s administration. Egyptian Army Chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced late on Wednesday that Morsi was no longer in office.\n<\/p>\n
In his late night speech on the state television, Sisi declared Head of Supreme Constitutional Court Adli Mansour as the interim president, suspended the country\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s constitution and announced early parliamentary elections.\n<\/p>\n
Following the speech by Sisi, police began arresting key presidential aides and the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood.\n<\/p>\n
A senior Egyptian army official said on Thursday that Morsi is being held \u00c5\u201cpreventively\u201d by the military.\n<\/p>\n
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