The United States has expressed its Å“concern” over the military-backed Egyptian governmentâ„¢s crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood.
Egyptâ„¢s interim government officially labeled the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group on Wednesday, saying that its findings show the movement launched a bomb attack, killing 16 people and leaving some 140 wounded, in the city of Mansoura on Tuesday.
However, US Secretary of State John Kerry conveyed his concerns over the interim Egyptian governmentâ„¢s decision during a phone conversation with the countryâ„¢s foreign minister Nabil Fahmy while he condemned the deadly bombing in Mansoura.
Å“Kerry expressed concern about the interim Egyptian government’s December 25 terrorist designation of the Muslim Brotherhood, and recent detentions and arrests,” the US State Department said in a statement.
Å“He [also] condemned the horrific terrorist bombing of the Dakahliya security directorate in Mansoura,” the statement added.
The Muslim Brotherhood had earlier denied any links to the Manousra attack and condemned the violence there. Meanwhile, a group of militants, who call themselves Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, has claimed responsibility for the deadly bombing.
According to US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki, Kerry also underscored during his phone call with Fahmy Å“the need for an inclusive political process across the political spectrum that respects the fundamental human rights of all Egyptians in order to achieve political stability.”
The military-backed Egyptian government has launched a bloody crackdown on supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi and arrested more than 2,000 Muslim Brotherhood members.
The administration of President Barack Obama, that refused to call Morsiâ„¢s ouster a coup in order to avoid an automatic congressional ban on the US aid to the Egyptian military, was seeking to build closer ties with Egyptâ„¢s army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi by installing Robert Ford as the US ambassador to Egypt.
However, the White House decided to keep Ford in his current position as the US ambassador to Syria after Egyptâ„¢s interim government indicated it did not want him as the US envoy to Cairo.
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Source: Press TV