Iranian deputy FM: No military solution envisaged for Egypt

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian reiterated Tehran's strong opposition to any military solution to the Egyptian crisis, saying problems in the Muslim country should be resolved through diplomacy and talks. “The Egyptians should distance themselves from militarism,” Amir Abdollahian said on Friday. “Egyptians’ legitimate demands should be respected in their quest for independence, freedom and democracy,” the Iranian deputy foreign minister said. He noted that an all-encompassing democratic trend should be take place in Egypt and the achievements of the country’s 2011 revolution should be preserved. “Any conflict that would lead to violence in Egypt would play into the enemies’ hands,” Amir Abdollahian said. “Undoubtedly, the perceptive and insightful people of Egypt will thwart the enemies’ opportunism as well as bids to stop the growing trend of democracy which is the fruit of the Egyptian revolution,” he pointed out. After days of massive anti-government protests in Egypt, the military overthrew the country's President Mohamed Mursi. Late Wednesday in a speech on state television, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the head of Egypt’s army, announced that Mursi was no longer in office. Police later began arresting key presidential aides and the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood. Sisi also suspended the country’s constitution, saying that new parliamentary elections will be held. The army chief declared Head of Supreme Constitutional Court Adli Mansour as the interim president.