Britain softens condemnation of Egypt’s military intervention in politics
Iran Press TV
Fri Jul 5, 2013 5:58PM GMT
British Foreign Secretary William Hague says his country will continue to work with Egypt's interim authorities despite not supporting the military intervention that toppled president Mohamed Morsi.
The Egyptian army forced Morsi out of office and held him in detention after days of deadly protests against his rule.
Hague insisted that Britain had to be "practical" in dealing with the situation.
"We have to work with whoever is in authority in Egypt," Hague told BBC radio.
"We have to do that for the safety of British nationals, we have to do that because there are so many British companies there", the Foreign Secretary claimed.
Hague tempered his condemnation of the army's role in Egyptian politics by saying it was a "popular intervention."
"We will always be clear that we don't support military intervention but we will work with people in authority in Egypt. That is the practical reality of foreign policy," he said.
"This is a military intervention in a democratic system. We have to understand it's a popular intervention, there's no doubt about that in the current state of opinion in Egypt."
Britain on Tuesday warned its nationals against all but essential travel to most of Egypt and said those already in the country should consider leaving.
Egypt underwent several decades of British rule until independence in 1922, while Britain invaded Egypt along with France and Israel in the 1956 Suez crisis.
MOL/HE
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