Egypt's presidency expressed its "regret" during a Friday statement that Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki is "unaware" of the reality of the Egyptian situation. "We hope that Tunisia, which had the honour of inaugurating the Arab Spring, benefits from the Egyptian experience proving that the people refuse to have a system imposed upon them," the statement read. The presidency added that the 30 June protests, which resulted in the 3 July ouster of elected president Mohamed Morsi, were meant to "reclaim the January 25 2011 Revolution" and fulfill its goals. In his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, Marzouki called on Egyptian authorities to release Morsi, who has been held incommunicado in a location unknown to the public since his removal from power. Marzouki argued that such an action would help resolve the severe political tensions between the interim government, Morsi's Islamist supporters, and the former president's opponents. Marzouki said that political dialogue is the only way out of the current political strife, as Islamists continue to call for Morsi's reinstatement. Egyptian authorities have staged a crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood – the group from which Morsi hails – following his popularly-backed ouster by the military. Many Muslim Brotherhood leaders, including supreme guide Mohamed Badie and numerous high and mid-level leaders, have been detained and face charges of incitement of violence against their opponents. Last week, a Cairo court issued an order to ban all Muslim Brotherhood activities. The Islamist group has since vowed to appeal the verdict. Egypt's foreign minister Nabil Fahmy is expected to address the 68th General Assembly on Saturday. Prior to his departure for New York, the foreign ministry released a statement noting that Fahmy plans to "explain the dimensions of the genuine democratic change to which the Egyptian people aspire, and the positive impact of 30 June on Egypt and the region." Source : Ahram
