Egypt (and Beyond) Live: Protests Turn Into Clashes at High Court
Sunday, April 7, 2013 at 10:20
Scott Lucas in Ahmed Maher, April 6 Youth Movement, Ashraf El-Araby, Benjamin Netanyahu, EA Live, EA Middle East and Turkey, Egypt, Israel, John Kerry, Middle East and Iran, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey

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1440 GMT: Turkey and Israel. US Secretary of State John Kerry, during a trip to Turkey, has urged Ankara and Israel to restore full relations, for the sake of regional stability.

Last month, during a trip by President Obama to Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moved towards reconciliation when he called Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to apologise for the killing of nine Turkish citizens in an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla in May 2010.

Kerry said it was imperative for Israel to honor its commitment to pay compensation to the families of the victims, and for both countries to return their ambassadors.

1040 GMT: Egypt. Minister of Planning Ashraf El-Araby has said that Cairo will try to increase its previously-requested $4.8 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund to cover its soaring budget deficit.

"Egypt will intensify its efforts in the spring meetings of the IMF in the period from April 16-21 to receive additional funding to cover the financing deficit until mid-2015," El-Araby said. "There are ongoing discussions to increase the loan, estimated at $4.8 billion but it may rise, especially with the increase in the budget deficit to $20 billion."

The minister said that, if a deal with the IMF is not reached before May, talks will be postponed until October when Parliamentary elections are expected to start.

0920 GMT: Egypt. Protests on Saturday in front of the High Court were beset by violence, as police fired tear gas at the crowd.

The April 6 Youth Movement, a leading force in the 2011 revolution, had gathered to mark the fifth anniversary of a historic strike in the city of Mahalla and to protest against the Morsi Government.

"We supported President Morsi when he ran for presidency. Now, after he issued his constitutional declaration, rammed through a new constitution and failed to meet the goals of the revolution we have joined the ranks of the opposition," said Ahmed Maher, co-founder of the Movement.

Other opposition parties joined in marches in Cairo and other cities.

The marches passed other key hotspots, such as the Maspero State television and radio building in central Cairo, without incident. However, the initially peaceful rally at the High Court fell into disorder amid the tear gas.

The April 6 Movement condemned the Ministry of Interior for "responding to chants with teargas and birdshot" and "prostituting" every Egyptian regime.

The Ministry of Health said 40 people were injured in Cairo and six in Fayoum and El-Gharbiya.

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