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Middle East and North Africa

Russian Foreign Ministry condemns terrorist act in Egypt

MOSCOW, December 24, 21:18 /ITAR-TASS/. The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the terrorist act in Egypt and suggested that Russian citizens now staying in Egypt should not leave resort zones, says a report placed on the foreign ministry’s website on Tuesday.

The ministry noted that a car bomb went off near a police station in the Egyptian city of Al Mansour, 120 kilometres north of Cairo, on December 24. The blast killed 14 people and wounded one hundred. The authorities blame the terrorist act on the Muslim Brothers and their supporters.

“This crime is condemned in Moscow,” the ministry says, expressing condolences to the bereaved families and wishing prompt recovery to the wounded. “We solidarize with Egypt’s actions to thwart attempts at destabilization in the country, particularly in the run up to a referendum on the draft new constitution due in mid-January 2014,” the ministry stresses. “We confirm our principled stand of non-acceptance of terrorism. Political differences, however acute, must be resolved by peaceful means through a broad-based dialogue with the participation of the leading political and public forces of the country,” the ministry says.

“The Russian Foreign Ministry sees the need to confirm the earlier recommendations to Russian tourists in Egypt to show caution and stay within the limits of resort areas and to keep from visiting large cities and areas where the danger of terrorism and crime is high,” the ministry notes.

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Middle East and North Africa

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