Egypt: civil disobedience calls rejected

The Egyptian government said all Egyptian people have declined to respond to calls for civil disobedience. Instead, the Egyptians want to have reassurance, calmness and stability so that production would resume, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Fayeza Abu Al-Naja told a news conference following a cabinet meeting. She added that all reports showed that all facilities were operating in full capacity, and workers at some installations asked to work more than work hours. "The next days will see surprises aiming to destabilize Egypt and to maintain the state of concern and tension in the Egyptian street," she said. The minister even warned that those who incited civil disobedience will be held to accountable as per law. On Egyptian-US relations, Abu Al-Naja believed that the case of NGOs would not affect the future of strategic ties between Cairo and Washington. Asked if the International Monetary Fund (IMF) may not give Egypt a recently announced USD-2.3-billion loan under US pressure, the minister said: "I don't believe that there could be US influence on the IMF in view of aid. Procedures (for loan) is going on the normal track." But, she refused to respond to a question on Iran's offer to help Egypt versus US and Western pressure, saying every country has its respective leverage cards in the political arena and Egypt is not an exception in this regard.