UN chief Ban calls for reconciliation in Egypt

“This is not the time of revenge or retribution,” Ban said in a statement on Monday, adding, “This is a time for inclusion and reconciliation.”

“It is important that Egyptian authorities should include all the parties in managing the current difficult situation,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s public prosecutor has ordered the arrest of seven Muslim Brotherhood leaders. The order came on the same day as the UN chief made the plea.

The arrest order was issued over alleged charges of inciting violence between the supporters and opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood in the days before and after Morsi was ousted as president of Egypt.

Egypt plunged into a fresh wave of violence after the country’s powerful military ousted Morsi, suspended the constitution, and dissolved the parliament on July 3.

The army declared the chief justice of Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court, Adli Mansour, as interim president on July 4.

Since then, Egypt has been the scene of rival rallies and clashes between thousands of the supporters and opponents of the ousted president.

On Sunday, the former head of the UN nuclear agency and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohamed ElBaradei was sworn in as Egypt’s interim vice president for foreign relations.

The Muslim Brotherhood has refused to participate in the new government. The group has vowed to keep protesting until Morsi is reinstated.

Army officials said the ousted president, who had taken office in June 2012, was being held “preventively” by the military.

Agencies