Morsi’s overthrow was a revolution not coup

Egypt's former foreign minister Mohammed al-Orabi described the change of government in Egypt as a "popular revolution" dismissing suggestions that the military received help from the USA to oust president Mohammed Morsi. In an interview with Arab Today, al-Orabi - who served briefly as a foreign minister in Egypt’s post-revolution military government in 2011 - also called on the country’s new government to reassess its foreign policy in order to "shed the legacy" of the deposed Muslim Brotherhood-led government.   He said a reevaluation of priorities was needed after changes made by former assistant to the president for foreign affairs, Issam Haddad. Al-Orabi played down the possible impact on foreign policy following the appointment of Mohamed ElBaradei as Vice President, stating: "There is little crossover between his responsibilities and those of the minister of foreign affairs. On the question of whether Egyptian armed forces had received help from Washington in pushing Morsi out, he denied that there had been any coordination between the now Defence Minister, General Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, and the US administration, adding: "It was the people of Egypt who spoke, not America." The ex-official also criticised international calls on the military to free Morsi, saying:  "The demand by Western governments for the release of the isolated president increases the complexity of the situation. The pressure from Western countries is making his supporters cling to their demands for the opposite of what needs to happen, and that is halting the increase in tension on the street." The former career diplomat appeared open to the possibility of continuing his role as interlocutor between his home country and the rest of the world, adding: "I would participate in any initiative aimed to correct Egypt’s image abroad" explaining what happened as a "popular revolution carried out by Egyptians alone" and not a military coup. Mohammed al-Orabi concluded by predicting that Egypt’s foreign ministry will "see an improvement in its performance" particularly in relation to the Nile issue with Ethiopia and matters relating to Egyptians living abroad.