Egypt expressed its surprise by this week's claims that it obstructed a UN Security Council report that condemned the coup attempt in Turkey. The statement was supposed to be issued on Saturday, reports Doaa El-Bey. Several international news agencies reported the incident on Saturday claiming that Egypt tried to obstruct the Security Council's statement. An official statement issued by the Foreign Affairs Ministry on the same day quoted a diplomatic official as saying: “Egypt has no objection to the Security Council report, but it just suggested few amendments.” “It's a surprise how Egypt was then accused of ‘obstructing' the report,” the source said. Egypt, the statement added, suggested amendments to a part of the statement which recommends respecting the “democratically elected government of Turkey”. Instead, Egypt suggested replacing the text with: “respecting democratic, constitutional concepts, and rule of law”. According to the ministry, “this slight amendment does not change the core meaning of the statement”, the source added. Egypt based its demand on the fact that the council was in no position to qualify or label the [Turkish] government — or any other government for that matter — as democratically elected or not. Egypt's UN Ambassador Amr Abul-Atta was also keen to explain Egypt's stand. “We proposed different language that respects democratic and constitutional principles but the Americans refused to engage,” Abul-Atta was quoted by the media this week. As a result, the Security Council failed to issue a statement that condemned the violence and unrest in Turkey. Statements issued by the council must be made by consensus of the permanent and non-permanent members of the 15-member council. Egypt is currently a non-permanent member in the Security Council. Its term started in January this year and will end in December next year. The statement tackled three different elements: expressing the council's concerns towards the security unrest in Turkey, asking the various parties to show restraint and calling for an urgent end to the crisis and return to the rule of law. Turkish forces loyal to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan managed to crush an attempted military coup on Saturday after crowds responded to his call to take to the streets in support of the regime. Egypt's media tended to link strained Egyptian-Turkish relations to its alleged attempt to block the report, explained a diplomat who talked on condition of anonymity. “Any statement or resolution issued by the UN or any other international organisation is subject to discussion and request for amendments from member states. The Security Council statement that was supposed to be issued early this week is no exception,” he told Al-Ahram Weekly. Egypt's relations with Turkey have been strained for the last three years. Turkey supported the legitimate demands of the Egyptian people during and after the 25 January Revolution in 2011. Ties saw a boom during the one-year rule of Mohamed Morsi as president in 2012. Cairo and Ankara signed some 40 agreements in trade, science, banking, tourism and other areas during that year. But relations soured after the ouster of Morsi in July 2013. Ever since, Erdogan has repeatedly criticised the Egyptian government and called for Morsi's release from prison. In November 2013 Egypt declared the Turkish ambassador in Cairo persona non grata and told him to leave the country. Turkey responded by expelling the Egyptian ambassador in Ankara. In August 2014, Erdogan called on the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on Egypt. He has said that Turkey's relations with Egypt will not return to normal until Morsi is released, all capital punishment sentences are annulled, all political prisoners are released, and the ban on religious political parties is lifted. Cairo has repeatedly expressed concern over Turkey's criticism of the government and accused Ankara of interfering in its domestic affairs. In December 2014, Egypt imposed restrictions on Egyptians travelling to Turkey, demanding potential visitors to acquire security approvals from designated authorities. Meanwhile, Turkey provides a safe haven for leading members of the Muslim Brotherhood, of which Morsi was a member, and which has been banned in Egypt. Ankara also allows TV stations run by sympathisers of the Brotherhood who criticise the present government to broadcast out of its own territories.
