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Egypt needs plan to contain violence - UN head

Hundreds of people have been killed over the last few days in clashes between Egyptian security forces and supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohamed Morsi
Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS
Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

UNITED NATIONS, August 18 (Itar-Tass) - Egypt’s political leaders should adopt a “credible” plan to contain the violence that engulfed the country, and resume the political process interrupted by it, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated on Saturday.

He strongly condemned the attacks on churches, hospitals and other public institutions taking place in Egypt, calling such actions unacceptable. “The Secretary-General believes that preventing further loss of life should be the Egyptians’ highest priority at this dangerous moment,” the UN head’s spokesperson said in a statement.

The UN head also appealed to authorities and political leaders to “adopt a credible plan to contain the violence and revive the political process hijacked by violence.”

“He urges those in the street and those in authority to use maximum restraint and shift immediately to de-escalation,” the communiqu· emphasises. The UN head underlined that time is of the essence and called on all Egyptians to resolve their differences peacefully in the interest of moving forward.

Hundreds of people have been killed over the last few days in clashes between Egyptian security forces and supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohamed Morsi. The situation in the country was the subject of discussion at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council this week. Its members urged the conflicting parties to exercise maximum restraint and avoid further escalation of violence.

United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey D. Feltman is expected to arrive in Cairo next week. He will meet with representatives of all the sides and on his return to New York will report to the UN Secretary-General on the situation, after which a decision will be made on further actions of the United Nations for stabilisation in Egypt.