Egypt blocked a United Nations Security Council U.S.-drafted statement condemning the military coup attempt in Turkey over the phrasing of a clause.
According to Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, the initial statement, which requires all members of the council to agree to in order to pass, urged all parties to “respect the democratically elected government of Turkey.” Egypt opposed this statement as it believed that the 15-member Security Council is “in no position to qualify or label [the Turkish] government, or any government, as democratically elected or not.”
Instead, Egypt proposed to change the phrasing to urging parties in Turkey to “respect the democratic and constitutional principles and the rule of law.”
However, the United States, which has been accused by some figures in Turkey of orchestrating the coup attempt, and the United Kingdom objected to the change, resulting in no statement of condemnation being passed.
Egypt expressed surprise at the rejection of its amendment and criticized the media for claiming it had solely obstructed the condemnation.
Egyptian-Turkish relations have been strained since former President Mohammed Morsi was overthrown by the Military in July 2013 following days of protests. Turkey’s President Erdogan has refused to engage in any diplomacy with the Egyptians, citing an illegitimate coup. Many Muslim Brotherhood members, who fled Egypt following Morsi’s ouster, have found refuge in Turkey.
According to Reuters, 265 people, including 104 coup “plotters”, were killed in the overnight coup attempt. Meanwhile, more than 2,800 soldiers and 2,700 judges were arrested in the hours after the attempt.
The military coup attempt started with soldiers taking control of key installations and announcing on state television that a “peace council” would now run the country to “reinstate constitutional order, human rights and freedoms.
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