The Secretary-General spoke today with the Egyptian Interim Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei.

The Secretary-General expressed his profound concern about the direction in which the transition in Egypt is moving. He strongly condemned the upsurge of violence in Egypt that has led to the deaths of so many.

He called on the interim authorities to assume full responsibility for the peaceful management of the demonstrations and to ensure the protection of all Egyptians, regardless of party affiliation.

The Secretary-General renewed his calls for the interim authorities to launch a genuinely inclusive, peaceful political process for going forward. He underlined that with every new death this long-term reconciliation becomes harder.

The Secretary-General said he was appealing to all Egyptian leaders to urge their supporters to show restraint, and to put the interest of their country above individual, group and political interests in order to start a meaningful reconciliation process. He repeated his calls for Mr. Mohammed Morsy and other Muslim Brotherhood leaders to be released by the interim authorities, or to have their cases reviewed in the fullest transparency.