UN Security Council calls emergency session to discuss Egypt
The UN Security Council called for an emergency session on Thursday to discuss the situation in Egypt, swiftly responding to a joint request made by council members in France, Britain and Australia, Reuters reported.
Turkey also called on the UN Security Council to convene.
The meeting would be held behind closed doors, and UN Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson would then give a briefing.
The meeting comes amid international condemnation of the violent dispersal of sit-ins demanding the return of deposed President Mohamed Morsi, which escalated into nationwide clashes that resulted in at least 638 deaths, according to numbers issued by the Health Ministry on Thursday evening.
Earlier today, the US canceled joint military exercises with Egypt, Denmark canceled US$5.3 billion worth of development aid to the country, and France and Germany summoned the Egyptian ambassadors in their capitals to voice their concern over the situation.
Many countries interpreted Wednesday’s violence as a violation of the right to protest, and a deviation from the path to democracy.
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