Tony Blair Backs Egypt Roadmap, Military

Former British prime minister Tony Blair has expressed his support for the transitional authorities in Egypt, and for last summer’s ouster of president Mohamed Morsi.

“This is what I say to my colleagues in the West: the fact is, the Muslim Brotherhood tried to take the country away from its basic values of hope and progress. The army have intervened, at the will of the people, but in order to take the country to the next stage of its development, which should be democratic,” Blair told Sky News Arabia on Thursday, adding that the West should be supporting the new government in reaching democracy.

“I think it’s important the whole of the international community gets behind the leadership here and helps,” he added.

Blair, who is currently visiting the Middle East as a special envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East, was in Cairo on Wednesday where he met Egyptian officials.

The former premier met with interim Egyptian President Adly Mansour and Minister of Foreign Affairs Nabil Fahmy on Wednesday to discuss the latest developments in the peace process in the Middle East.

According to Ambassador Ehab Badawy, the official spokesperson for the president, Blair congratulated Mansour on the new Egyptian constitution, expressing his support for the roadmap in Egypt.