ANKARA (AA) - U.S. President Barack Obama said Thursday that U.S. strongly condemned steps of Egypt's interim government and security forces.
Following his discussion with the national security team about the situation in Egypt, Obama provided an update about their response to the events of the last several days in Egypt.
"The United States strongly condemns the steps that have been taken by Egypt's interim government and security forces," Obama said, "We deplore violence against civilians. We support universal rights essential to human dignity, including the right to peaceful protest. We oppose the pursuit of martial law, which denies those rights to citizens under the principle that security trumps individual freedom or that might makes right."
U.S. president described things happening in Egypt as 'violence that has taken the lives of hundreds of people and wounded thousands more'.
He said the relationship between the United States and Egypt went back decades and it was rooted in the respect of Egypt as a nation, an ancient centre of civilisation and a cornerstone for peace in the Middle East.
In his statement, Obama reminded how America was inspired by the Egyptians' desire for a change as millions of Egyptians took to the streets to 'defend their dignity and to demand a government that was responsive to their aspirations for political freedom and economic opportunity'. "And we said at the time that change would not come quickly or easily, but we did align ourselves with a set of principles: nonviolence, a respect for universal rights, and a process for political and economic reform," he noted.
"We believe nations are more stable and more successful when they're guided by those principles as well. That's why we're so concerned by recent events," said U.S. president.
He stressed in his speech that Mohammed Morsi was an elected president in a democratic election but added that his government was not inclusive and did not respect the views of all Egyptians.
"We have sustained our commitment to Egypt and its people," Obama said. "But while we want to sustain our relationship with Egypt, our traditional cooperation cannot continue as usual when civilians are being killed in the streets and rights are being rolled back. As a result, this morning we notified the Egyptian government that we are cancelling our biannual joint military exercise, which was scheduled for next month."
He called on the Egyptian authorities to respect the universal rights of the people also calling on the demonstrators to protest peacefully.
Pointing out that the state of emergency in the country should be lifted, Obama said they believed 'that a process of national reconciliation should begin, that all parties need to have a voice in Egypt's future, that the rights of women and religious minorities should be respected and that commitments must be kept to pursue transparent reforms to the constitution and democratic elections of a parliament and a president'.
President Obama also said America cannot determine the future of Egypt and that they do not take sides with any particular party or political figure.
Referring to the difficult days that Egypt has been facing, he said, "From Asia to America, we know that democratic transitions are measured not in months or even years but sometimes in generations."
He ended his speech by saying, "America will work with all those in Egypt and around the world who support a future of stability that rests on a foundation of justice and peace and dignity."
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