The Secretary-General made a number of telephone calls today, including with the Foreign Ministers of Turkey and Qatar, and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States.  In all of them, he shared his deep alarm about the situation in Egypt, and the unacceptable loss of life over the past two days.

He underlined the need for the interim Egyptian authorities to quickly step up their efforts to launch a genuinely inclusive political process.

The Secretary-General informed his interlocutors that he had been appealing to all Egyptian leaders to urge their supporters to show restraint, curb their anger, and try to engage in a meaningful reconciliation process.

He reiterated the importance of the interim authorities immediately releasing Mr. Mohammed Morsy and other Muslim Brotherhood leaders, or having their cases reviewed in the fullest transparency.