PRETORIA, July 5 (Itar-Tass) - The African Union has suspended Egypt’s from all its activities following the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi.
“As mandated by the relevant AU instruments, the African Union Peace and Security Council decides to suspend the participation of Egypt in AU activities until the restoration of constitutional order," Admore Kambudzi, Secretary of the Peace and Security Council of AU, said on Friday.
"The overthrow of the democratically elected president does not conform to the relevant provisions of the Egyptian constitution and therefore falls under the definition of an unconstitutional change of government,” the Council said in a release.
Egypt’s ambassador to the African Union, Mohamed Edrees, said at the beginning of the Council session that his country wanted to remain in the family of African peoples.
"The voice and the presence and the call of tens of millions of Egyptians in the street all over Egypt cannot be omitted. This voice has to be heard, understood and respected. At the end the people are the source of all legitimacy," he said.
However, AU Commission chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma confirmed Egypt would be readmitted to the AU only when a new administration was voted in. "Nobody will sit behind the (Egyptian) flag — neither the previous government nor the present interim government — until there is an election," she said. "The removal of President Mohamed Morsy was in violation of the provisions of the Egyptian Constitution and falls under the AU doctrine on unconstitutional changes of government.”