Excerpt from the U.S. State Department Daily Press Briefing
Egypt
QUESTION: Can we go to Egypt?
MS. PSAKI: Sure.
QUESTION: I’m wondering, since Saturday’s phone calls the Secretary made, has there been more contact, that you’re aware of, between him and Egyptian officials? What do you make of the situation there today?
MS. PSAKI: Mm-hmm. There has been – and let me just make sure I get the full list here. So since Saturday, the Secretary also spoke today with Egyptian Interim Vice President ElBaradei. He spoke with EU High Representative Cathy Ashton this morning as well. And he’s been in close contact with his counterparts in the region, including the Emiratis and the Turks and the Qataris as well, given they all have a stake in the outcome in events.
QUESTION: Those were foreign ministers? Sorry.
MS. PSAKI: Exactly, yes. Sorry, that was – I was shorthanding it there for you.
QUESTION: UAE, Turks, and Qatar?
MS. PSAKI: Mm-hmm. Exactly.
QUESTION: Okay. Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.
MS. PSAKI: No, no, no, no. Not at all.
QUESTION: Go ahead.
MS. PSAKI: As you know, EU High Representative Ashton is in Egypt now. We fully support and appreciate her efforts to calm tensions, prevent further violence, bridge political divides, and help lay the basis for a peaceful, inclusive process. That was the discussion – the focus of the discussion this morning that the Secretary had with her. And we expect we’ll be – continue to be in close contact.
Go ahead. Sorry.
QUESTION: No, no.
MS. PSAKI: I was just continuing – and you saw the comment – the statement, I should say – that we put out from the Secretary this weekend that highlighted – that strongly condemned the violence and called for restraint by all parties. That, of course, remains our focus.
