Nour Party withdraws from politics after "Republican Guards House massacre"

Mon, 08/07/2013

Egypt Independent
The Salafi Nour Party announced its complete withdrawal from politics and decision to abstain from participating in the implementation of a roadmap announced by Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s following clashes that broke out in eastern Cairo this morning.

Thirty five supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsy were killed in the massacre, according to sources from the Muslim Brotherhood.

Nour Party head Younis Makhyoun said on his Facebook page on Monday that, in response to the "Republican Guards House massacre,” his party has decided to completely withdraw from the political scene and from partaking in putting in place a roadmap announced by Sisi.

Makhyoun added that the party has also decided to stop collaborating with President Adly Mansour. He said that the party will issue a statement to clarify its position in the next few hours.

Nader Bakkar, the party’s assistant head of media affairs, said that the group has decided to withdraw from all negotiations in a preliminary response to the alleged massacre.

On Twitter, Bakkar added that the party will not remain silent about the “Republican Guards House massacre.”

"We wanted to stop bloodshed, but rivers of blood are being spilled,” he said.

Source: Egypt Independent.
Link: http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/nour-party-withdraws-politics-after-republican-guards-house-massacre.

Talks on Egypt leaders hit Islamist block

July 08, 2013

CAIRO (AP) — Secular and liberal factions trying to install one of their own as Egypt's new prime minister collided into strong resistance Sunday from the sole Islamist faction that backed the military's ouster of President Mohammed Morsi, reflecting the difficulties in building a broad coalition behind a new leadership.

As wrangling continued over the prime minister spot, giant rallies by the movements that pushed out Morsi took on a sharply nationalist tone, pervaded with posters of the military's chief and denunciations of the United States and President Barack Obama for they see as their backing of the Islamist leader.

The show of strength in the streets was aimed at fending off a determined campaign by Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, which brought out its own supporters Sunday in large protests. Warning that the military is turning Egypt into a "totalitarian state," Brotherhood officials vowed to stay on the streets to reverse what they call a coup against democracy and restore Egypt's first freely elected president to office.

Military warplanes swooped over the anti-Morsi crowd filling Cairo's Tahrir Square, drawing a heart shape and an Egyptian flag in the sky with colored smoke. Large banners read "Obama, hands off, a message to the USA. Obama supports the terrorists of 911" with a picture of Obama with an Islamists' beard.

Throughout Morsi's year in office, many of his opponents accused the United States of backing his administration. Washington often underlined that it was dealing with Morsi as the country's elected leader.

Before the wave of anti-Morsi protests began on June 30, U.S. Ambassador to Egypt Anne Patterson said in a speech that she was "deeply skeptical" protests would be fruitful. She defended U.S. relations with Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood as necessary because the group is part of the democratically elected government.

Since Morsi's removal Wednesday, Washington has tread carefully, expressing concern without outright calling the army's move a coup or denouncing Morsi's ouster. On Saturday, the White House said in a statement that it rejects "false claims propagated by some in Egypt that we are working with specific political parties or movements to dictate how Egypt's transition should proceed," saying it is committed to Egyptians' aspirations for democracy.

The widespread appearance of anti-American slogans in Tahrir had a double-edged message: painting the Brotherhood as a tool of Washington and pushing back against U.S. concerns over the military's moves.

Obama "must know that this is a popular revolution," said Shawki Ibrahim, a 37-year-old in Tahrir with a portrait of army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi dangling from his neck. "The United States should support the people's will and not the interest of a person or a group seeking only their own interest," he said.

The appointment of a prime minister is the key next step in building a post-Morsi leadership. The prime minister is to hold far greater powers in running the country than the interim president — Adly Mansour, a senior judge who was sworn into the post earlier.

The bloc of secular, leftist and liberal factions that led the giant wave of protests against Morsi last week are now the main grouping in a loose collection of movements trying to fill out leadership posts. They are pushing for one of their own as prime minister to have a strong voice in shaping the country.

But also among them is a main party of the ultraconservative Islamist movement known as Salafis — al-Nour — which turned against Morsi months ago and backed the military's ouster of him. On Saturday, al-Nour blocked the appointment of the most prominent liberal figure, Mohamed ElBaradei, as prime minister, who is deeply distrusted by the Islamist movement as too secular.

On Sunday, the secular-liberal bloc offered a compromise candidate — Ziad Bahaa-Eldin, a prominent financial expert and an ally of ElBaradei. The interim president's spokesman Ahmed al-Musalamani, told Egypt's ONTV that Bahaa-Eldin was the leading candidate, with ElBaradei positioned to be named vice president.

But al-Nour again appeared prepared to block it. "Our position is that the prime minister should not belong to a specific faction ... We want a technocrat," al-Nour Party chief Younes Makhyoun told The Associated Press. He pointed to Bahaa-Eldin's membership in the National Salvation Front, the main umbrella group of liberal parties that was Morsi's main opposition.

Al-Nour faces considerable pressure from its followers not to be seen as backing down to secular movements. Brotherhood officials claim some al-Nour members have already joined its pro-Morsi protests. When al-Nour broke with Morsi months ago, it caused a split among its ranks, with some members forming a new party that remained with the president.

Al-Nour was clearly concerned about appearing to side with the military against fellow Islamists at a time when Morsi and five other prominent Brotherhood figures have been put in detention and Islamist television stations have been put off the air.

Speaking on Al-Jazeera Mubasher Misr TV, Makhyoun warned that if the interim president throws out the Islamist-drafted constitution and appoints a panel to write a new one, the party will break with the military-backed "road map" for a transition. So far, the constitution has only been suspended and the talk has been of just amending disputed articles.

On Sunday, the Dawaa Salafia, a body of clerics allied to al-Nour, said the new leadership must be inclusive of Islamists, and it criticized the heavy hand against the Brotherhood. "No one should rejoice for undermining the freedom of others even if they are political rivals because repression is harmful for all," it said in a statement on its website.

"The police and the army should not discriminate between citizens based on their political color. Worse than this is to discriminate against anyone because of their Islamic disposition," it said. The liberal and secular factions want to maintain al-Nour support to show they have a powerful Islamist voice on their side. Al-Nour won a quarter of the seats in parliament in 2011-2012 elections.

But they were infuriated by its blocking of ElBaradei, with some insisting it should not have veto power over the post. The youth activist group Tamarod accused al-Nour of "blackmail" and arm-twisting."

That raises the possibility they could eventually ignore al-Nour's demands and force through a candidate of their own. That would risk al-Nour breaking away, further solidifying Egypt's divide into Islamist and non-Islamist camps.

The prime minister will also likely have strong influence on the process of writing a new constitution. That's a major concern of al-Nour, which pushed hard for the Islamic character of the charter pushed through under Morsi's administration, which was suspended after his ouster.

Walid el-Masry, of Tamarod, said al-Nour is using the ElBaradei issue to press liberals on the constitution, worried about changes to the Islamist-drafted charter. "They are afraid about the articles that concern the state's Islamic identity," he said, adding that the liberals assured Salafis that they won't touch these articles.

The Islamists have denounced the removal of Morsi as an army coup against democracy. Their opponents have argued the president had squandered his electoral mandate and that the Brotherhood was putting Egypt on an undemocratic path.

Pro-Morsi rallies turned out in several places around Cairo on Sunday, centered outside the Rabaah al-Adawiya Mosque where tens of thousands massed. The Brotherhood has so far staunchly rejected any cooperation with the emerging military-backed leadership, saying Morsi must return to its posts. But in a statement late Sunday, it hinted at the possibility of listening to other initiatives — as long as they entailed the president's reinstatement.

"Despite great bitterness, we are ready to accept the initiatives of loyal friends who call for the complete return of legitimacy, including president, constitution and (parliament)," it said. Senior Brotherhood member Saad Emara said there was no possibility for any negotiations with the new leadership after "all betrayed us," and following the military's clampdown on the group.

"We are not regressing to a Mubarak era but to ... a totalitarian regime," he told AP. "Anything other than protest is suicide." A Brotherhood spokesman, Gehad el-Haddad, said the military is not giving any positive signals for the group to be willing to talk, pointing to the arrests of the leadership figures and shutdowns of media.

"They are trying to terrorize us," he said. Outside Rabaa al-Adawiya, Brotherhood supporters waved flags as young men wearing makeshift helmets jogged in place and did calisthenics, as part of security teams the group says are to defend its rallies from attack.

One man raised a poster in Arabic and English: "Where is my president? Where is Morsi?" "Do we not deserve democracy, aren't we worth anything?" said an emotional Alaa el-Saim, a retired army engineer in a broad-brimmed hat to protect from the sun. He pointed to the shooting by troops on Friday of pro-Morsi protesters. "It's the first time I've seen that, the army shoots at us with weapons they bought with the taxes I paid."

Khaled Galal, a young bearded man in a skull cap, called the army's actions the "rape of legitimacy." "Muslims aren't allowed democracy, and when we pick up weapons to defend it we get called terrorists," he said.

AP correspondents Paul Schemm and Tony G. Gabriel contributed to this report

Syrian prison shelled, part of Aleppo battle

July 07, 2013

BEIRUT (AP) — Shells smashed into a central prison in the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo, killing prisoners, a rights group said Sunday, part of a long battle for control of the ancient city.

The explosions killed six prisoners, said the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which communicates with a network of activists on the ground. The explosives hit on Friday night, the Observatory said. It was not clear who fired the shells.

The Observatory reported about 70 soldiers and fighters were killed on Sunday, as well as 40 civilians, in fighting across Syria. The U.N. estimates some 93,000 people have been killed in the civil war.

With government forces stepping up offensives, the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood called on the U.S. and Europe to send arms. "Providing the Free Syrian Army and the revolutionary rebels with appropriate arms is more urgent now than at any time in the past," the movement wrote on social media sites. "We feel cheated and disappointed because the U.S. and Europe have backed out from arming the FSA," it said.

Last month the U.S. decided in principle to provide some weapons to rebel forces, though Western countries are concerned they might land in the hands of extremist Sunni Muslims fighting with the rebels.

The forces include an al-Qaida-linked group which has been fighting for weeks to seize control of the prison in Aleppo, besieging it. The Observatory estimated some 120 prisoners have died in the jail since April from fighting, illness and executions.

Syria's state run news agency SANA said "a number" of rebels were killed in the shelling but did not give an exact number. Aleppo, Syria's largest city, is near the border with Turkey. Many of its ancient monuments and its marketplace, once a magnet for tourists, have been destroyed in fighting.

Rebels and government forces also clashed near the Shiite towns of Nubul and Zahra in Aleppo province, the Observatory and pro-rebel activists reported. The towns have been besieged since at least May by hard-line Sunni rebels seeking to dislodge their enemies.

The Observatory said fighting killed three regime troops, including one foreigner, code for a fighter from the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah. Rebels claim that Assad's forces and Hezbollah fighters are in the two towns. A hard-line Sunni brigade warned last week it would punish Shiites for harboring the forces, suggesting the towns' populations of some 40,000 Shiites could be targeted.

The fighting underscores the growing sectarian nature of the two-year uprising against Assad's regime. It began as peaceful protests but turned into an armed rebellion after a brutal government crackdown. It has since taken on regional dimensions, with Hezbollah fighters joining Assad's forces. Foreign Sunni fighters have joined predominantly Sunni Syrian rebels who are formed in bands ranging from secular to hard-line Islamists.

At home, Assad draws support largely from Syria's minorities, including fellow Alawites — followers of an offshoot of Shiite Islam — as well as Christians, Shiites and Sunnis who fear the hard-line rebels.

In recent weeks, Assad's forces, bolstered by Hezbollah fighters, have pushed back to seize rebel-held areas in several parts of Syria. In the central Syrian city of Homs, Assad's forces fired mortar shells from a stronghold of buildings on the edge of the rebel-held area of Khaldiyeh, trying to flush out fighters, said two activists.

Explosions could be heard as they spoke via Skype. The shells were exploding in the densely-built area surrounding the 13th-century mosque of Khalid Ibn al-Walid, famous for its nine domes and two minarets, said a Homs-based activist identified as Nedal. He said parts of the wall surrounding the historic complex were blown away. Other parts were damaged in previous rounds of fighting.

Khaldiyeh-based activist Abu Bilal said fighters were low on weapons. He said the international community, despite promises to arm rebels, had left them hanging in Homs. "They have sold Homs to the enemy," he complained.

The U.N. warns the some 4,500 residents in besieged, rebel-held areas of Homs face a humanitarian catastrophe. On Friday, the divided U.N. Security Council failed to approve a statement calling on the Syrian government to allow immediate access to trapped civilians there. Russia, Syria's closest ally, demanded that the statement should also call for immediate access to the towns of Nubul and Zahra.

Jordan charges Muslim cleric deported from UK

July 07, 2013

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — A radical Muslim preacher described as a key al-Qaida operative in Europe rejected terrorism charges Sunday linked to alleged plots targeting Americans and Israelis in Jordan, his lawyer said, hours after Britain deported him to bring an end to a decade-long legal saga over his extradition.

Jordan first submitted an extradition request to U.K. authorities for the militant cleric known as Abu Qatada in 2001, but it was blocked in British and European courts over human rights concerns. Last month, Britain and Jordan ratified a treaty on torture aimed at easing those worries, paving the way for the 53-year-old preacher's deportation.

Abu Qatada arrived at Amman's civilian airport early Sunday on board a British aircraft and was immediately whisked away by heavily armed anti-terrorism police for questioning at a nearby courthouse. Police sealed off the area as the convoy drove against traffic to the court building, just across the street from the airport. Armed policemen kept a crush of journalists at bay.

After nearly two hours of questioning, Jordanian prosecutors charged Abu Qatada with conspiring to carry out terror attacks in Jordan twice — once in 1999 for a foiled plot against the American school in Amman and another time in 2000 for allegedly targeting Israeli and American tourists and Western diplomats during new year celebrations.

In both cases, Abu Qatada was convicted in absentia years ago and sentenced to life in prison. With his return, those sentences have been suspended and he will receive a new trial. Abu Qatada's lawyer, Tayseer Thiab, said his client "told military prosecutors that he is not guilty of terrorism and rejected the charges against him."

Jordanian authorities ordered Abu Qatada held for 15 days pending further questioning, according to one of the prosecutors. He said the cleric will be held at Muwaqar I, a prison in Amman's southeastern industrial suburb of Sahab. The military district attorney banned the publication of the prosecutors' names.

Thiab said he will try to free his client on bail Monday. Outside the courthouse, Abu Qatada's father, Mahmoud, told the Associated press that his "son is innocent and I hope the court will set him free."

The cleric's younger brother, Ibrahim, said he and his father met with Abu Qatada for 15 minutes in the prosecutor's office and that his brother "looked well and in high spirits." He said the three prayed together and that the cleric "kissed my dad's hands and feet when he saw him." He told them British and Jordanian authorities had not used hand cuffs.

"How do you think I felt seeing my brother after 22 years?" Ibrahim said. "Look at my eyes and you'll know the answer." Abu Qatada, whose real name is Omar Mahmoud Mohammed Othman, has been described in courts in Britain and Spain as a senior al-Qaida figure in Europe who had close ties to the late Osama bin Laden.

Britain accused him of links with Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person charged in the United States over the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and with shoe bomber Richard Reid. Audio recordings of some of the cleric's sermons were found in an apartment in Hamburg, Germany, used by some of the Sept. 11 hijackers.

Abu Qatada arrived in Britain on a forged passport in 1993 after fleeing a Jordanian government crackdown on militants. He was granted asylum in the U.K. a year later, but he eventually wore out his welcome because of his suspected militant activities, which allegedly included raising funds to finance terror plots in Jordan.

British authorities first tried to deport Abu Qatada in 2001, then detained him a year later under anti-terrorism laws, which at the time allowed suspected terrorists to be jailed without charge. Though he was released in 2005 when the unpopular law was overturned, the cleric was kept under close surveillance and detained in various ways.

He most recently was being held at London's Belmarsh prison after breaching a bail condition in March which restricted the use of mobile phones and communication devices. In London, British Home Secretary Theresa May announced Abu Qatada's departure Sunday in a statement, and expressed confidence that the U.K. public would welcome the end to the saga.

"This dangerous man has now been removed from our shores to face the courts in his own country," she said. British Prime Minister David Cameron expressed his "delight" at Abu Qatada's deportation, which he called "a priority" for his government.

Britain's original efforts to deport Abu Qatada were blocked by courts over concerns that evidence obtained under torture could be used against him. After years of successfully fighting the numerous attempts to expel him from the U.K., Abu Qatada recently indicated he would voluntarily return to Jordan if it and Britain ratified a treaty on torture.

That treaty — which explicitly bans the use of evidence "where there are serious and credible allegations that a statement from a person has been obtained by torture or ill-treatment" — was ratified by Britain and Jordan last month, clearing the final hurdle for his deportation.

Jordanian Information Minister Mohammed Momani said the kingdom "is keen on credibility and transparency" in handling Abu Qatada's case. He also said the cleric's deportation "sends a message to all fugitives that they will face justice in Jordan."

Associated Press writer Cassandra Vinograd in London contributed to this report.

Israel passes military draft bill

July 07, 2013

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's Cabinet has approved a plan that would gradually end a contentious system that has granted automatic draft exemptions to Jewish ultra-Orthodox seminary students.

Under a longstanding system, thousands of young men are allowed to skip compulsory military service to pursue religious studies. This has caused widespread resentment among secular Jewish Israelis. The new system, which needs parliamentary approval, would reduce the number of exemptions and require ultra-Orthodox men to register for service. It would go into effect in three years.

The draft was a central issue in January elections and propelled Yesh Atid, the secular rights party behind the new regulations, into the government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday the law will be implemented "gradually."

Ultra-Orthodox religious leaders condemned the decision, charging it would infringe on their lifestyle.

Turkey warns of further Egyptian violence

July 8, 2013

ANKARA, Turkey, July 8 (UPI) -- The Turkish government said Monday the attacks on demonstrators in Egypt will likely result in more bloodshed in the country.

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Monday it "learned with deep sorrow" of the death of more than 50 people during attacks in front of the Cairo headquarters of the Republican Guards, a military unit tasked with defending government institutions.

Egyptian violence escalated since last week's ouster of President Mohamed Morsi. Egyptian newspaper al-Ahram reports fighting broke out between pro- and anti-Morsi crowds protesting in front of the military headquarters.

The Turkish government said the attack could lead to "extremely serious repercussions" in the country.

"This attack, which violates basic universal values such as the freedom of expression and the freedom of peaceful assembly, is also by nature a provocation which will stoke violence," the government said.

The U.S. Embassy in Cairo said its offices were closed to the public Monday and regular consular services were suspended for the day. It said the number of protesters occupying Cairo's central Tahrir Square continued to swell.

The U.S. State Department last week said it was not taking sides in the wake of Morsi's ouster.

Ankara said it was calling on members of the international community to stand by the Egyptian struggle for democracy.

"Turkey will continue to stand in solidarity with the friendly and brotherly people of Egypt," it said.

Morsi served 13 months as the first Egyptian president elected by a democratic vote.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2013/07/08/Turkey-warns-of-further-Egyptian-violence/UPI-26271373305410/.

Turkey again closes Istanbul park

July 08, 2013

ISTANBUL (AP) — An Istanbul park that was at the center of weeks of anti-government demonstrations opened for a few hours Monday, but Turkish authorities quickly closed it and fired a water cannon, tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters heading to the area for a planned rally.

The attack — the second by police on protesters since Saturday — occurred on a main pedestrian road leading to Istanbul's landmark Taksim Square and adjacent Gezi Par. On Monday afternoon, Gov. Huseyin Avni Mutlu declared Gezi Park reopened to the public, but warned he would not allow it to become a point for more demonstrations. About three hours later, police asked the public to leave the park and closed it.

An Associated Press journalist at the scene said police used shields to push some laggards out of the park, fired tear gas at a few protesters who struck a police shield, and detained a dozen people. Some protesters were seen hurling stones at a police water cannon.

The Istanbul Bar Association said around 30 demonstrators were rounded up, including members of a group opposed to Taksim's redevelopment who had called Monday's Gezi protest. The Istanbul Medical Association said several people were injured.

Mutlu said on his Twitter account that the park was shut down again because there were "many calls to turn Gezi Park into an area of unlawful demonstrations and occupation." Gezi had been cordoned off since June 15, when police forcibly evacuated thousands of environmentalists who occupied it amid widespread protests against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government.

The park is one of a few green areas in the center of Istanbul. Government plans to redevelop Taksim and build a replica Ottoman-era military barracks at Gezi sparked the protests. But they quickly turned into an outpouring of discontent with Erdogan's government.

Opponents say Erdogan, who came to power a decade ago, has become increasingly authoritarian — a charge the prime minister rejects and points to the 50 percent support his party received at elections in 2011.

The protests have largely tapered off since June. On Saturday, however, police used tear gas to break up a few thousand demonstrators planning to break through police cordons to enter Gezi. More than 50 people were detained.

The media rights group, Reporters Without Borders, said at least 12 journalists were attacked by police during Saturday's protest and at least two were in police custody. "We deplore the continuing abuses by police, who are still using tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets, still insulting and beating and journalists," the group said.

Last month an Istanbul court ruled against the redevelopment plans, but the decision is not final and is expected to be appealed at a higher administrative court. At least four people — three protesters and a police officer — were killed in the widespread protests in June.

Erdogan has dismissed the protests by the mainly middle class, urban and secular-oriented Turks as a foreign-led conspiracy against his government and has held counter rallies to shore up support among his more conservative base.