Egypt Summons Qatari Envoy After Criticisms of Crackdown

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Egypt Summons Qatari Envoy After Criticisms of Crackdown

Riot police look from their armoured personnel vehicle during clashes with supporters of Muslim Brotherhood and ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi at Nasr City district in Cairo, Jan. 3, 2014.

Reuters

January 04, 2014

CAIRO — Egypt's foreign ministry summoned Qatar's ambassador on Saturday to complain about interference in its internal affairs after Doha criticized Cairo's crackdown on the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood.

The formerly close Qatari-Egyptian relationship has soured since the Egyptian army ousted democratically-elected President Mohamed Morsi, who had been firmly supported by Doha, last July following mass protests against his one-year rule.

Cairo then launched a wide crackdown against Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood group and labeled it a terrorist group last week.

A conservative estimate puts the death toll since Morsi's fall at well over 1,500 people, mainly Brotherhood supporters. About 400 police and soldiers have been killed in bombings and shootings.

Qatar said on Saturday that the decision to name the Brotherhood a terrorist organization was “a prelude to a shoot-to-kill policy” against demonstrators who have been staging frequent protests to call for Morsi's reinstatement.

“Egypt reiterates that it will not allow any external party to interfere in its internal affairs under any name or justification,” Egypt's Foreign Ministry spokesman Badr Abdelatty said in a statement.

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