CAIRO — The United States gave its strongest endorsement yet to Egypt's new army-installed government, saying the military had been “restoring democracy” when it drove Islamist president Mohamed Morsi from office last month. The Muslim Brotherhood decried the comments by US Secretary of State John Kerry and said their supporters would carry on with protests calling for Morsi's reinstatement. Thousands gathered at two Brotherhood camps in Cairo and prepared for a potential confrontation with security forces after the government warned they should give up or face action. International diplomats, rights groups and Egyptian religious leaders appealed to authorities to avoid bloodshed. Almost 300 people have died in political violence since Morsi was overthrown on July 3, including 80 of his supporters killed by security forces in clashes on July 27. Morsi, who became Egypt's first freely elected president in June 2012, had faced weeks of demonstrations against his rule. Many Egyptians were frustrated by his failure to get to grips with social and economic problems and feared he was leading the country towards stricter Islamist control. Morsi is now in custody at a secret location. The turmoil has left Egypt more polarized than at any time since US-backed leader Hosni Mubarak was toppled in 2011. The new government gained a US seal of approval late Thursday when Kerry said the army had been “restoring democracy” when it toppled Morsi. “The military was asked to intervene by millions and millions of people, all of whom were afraid of a descent into chaos, into violence,” he told GEO TV in Pakistan. “And the military did not take over, to the best of our judgment so — so far.” Kerry also called on the authorities to respect the right of peaceful protest, including the pro-Morsi rallies. Washington had previously given mixed messages about events in Egypt, long a bulwark of its Middle East policy, although it studiously avoided calling Morsi's overthrow a “military coup”. Such a description would have triggered a cut-off in the $1.3 billion a year the United States gives Egypt's military. Stepping up diplomatic efforts to defuse the crisis, US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns is set to arrive in Cairo Friday night and meet interim Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy. It was not known whether he would also hold talks with army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the man who ousted Morsi. Mohamed Ali Bishr, a senior Brotherhood leader and a minister in Morsi's former government, said the movement was disappointed by Kerry's statement. “The United States is a country that speaks of democracy and human rights and they say something like that. I hope that they rethink their position and correct it,” he said. European Union envoy Bernardino Leon, who is in Cairo, said Thursday the EU would not easily accept the use of violence to break up the protest camps. Human Rights Watch said the government should halt any plans to disperse the Muslim Brotherhood vigils by force. “To avoid another bloodbath, Egypt's civilian rulers need to ensure the ongoing right of protesters to assemble peacefully, and seek alternatives to a forcible dispersal of the crowds,” said Nadim Houry, HRW's deputy Middle East director. — Reuters
