Egypt Cabinet Slams Turkish PM, Says Its ‘Running out of Patience’

Egypt’s Cabinet responded on Tuesday to statements made by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying they were “completely false and aimed at affecting [Egypt’s] national unity.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Turkish PM Erdogan accused Israel of being behind the military-backed ouster of Egypt’s Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last month.

“Egypt is running out of patience,” the Egyptian Cabinet said in the statement. The Cabinet assured “Egypt does not share anyone’s hostility” and that its “Arab and Islamic identity are clear.”

It also said that the Turkish government should realize that Egypt’s main priority is “to implement the people’s will and to follow the roadmap towards democracy.”

Erdogan stated earlier on Tuesday “What do they say about Egypt? Democracy is not the ballot box. Who is behind this? It’s Israel.”

“We have the evidence,” he said, citing what he said were comments by an Israeli justice minister to a 2011 forum in France. The Israeli minister allegedly said Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood would not be able to remain in power even if it won elections.

The White House also condemned Erdogan’s remarks that Israel had a role in toppling former Egyptian president Morsi.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the comments were “offensive and unsubstantiated and wrong.”

Source: Ahram Online