We are extremely concerned about the news from Cairo that protest camps have been forcibly cleared.

We have not yet gained an accurate picture of the situation.
Nevertheless, this escalation of violence is very dangerous given that the political situation in Egypt is already heated.

We call upon all political forces in Egypt to return to dialogue without delay and to avoid any further escalation of violence.
Further bloodshed must be prevented.

We call upon all sides to return without delay to a political process which includes all political forces.

We expect the interim government and the Egyptian authorities to allow peaceful protests and to do all they can to help defuse the situation in the country.

We communicated this clear expectation to the Egyptian side this morning.

I would once again like to expressly draw the attention of German nationals to the Federal Foreign Office’s travel and safety advice. We strongly advise visitors to stay away from protests and crowds in this heated atmosphere.

We will continue to closely monitor developments and coordinate our action with our international partners.