The Guardian
David Cameron today condemned what he described as "despicable scenes" of violence against protesters in Egypt and said any state sponsorship of it would be "completely and utterly unacceptable".
Speaking outside Downing Street, alongside the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, the prime minister said the transition of power in Egypt must be "accelerated and happen quickly".
Cameron said: "If it turns out that the regime in any way has been sponsoring or tolerating this violence, that would be completely and utterly unacceptable. These are despicable scenes we are seeing and they should not be repeated.
"They underline the need for political reform and for that political reform to be accelerated and to happen quickly. We need to see a clear road map for that reform so that people in Egypt can have confidence that their aspirations for a more democratic future and greater rights is met and that change needs to start happening now and the violence needs to stop."
Ban said: "I am deeply concerned at the continuing violence in Egypt and once again urge restraint to all sides. This is very much an unacceptable situation. Any attacks on peaceful demonstrators is unacceptable and I strongly condemn it."
Earlier, at prime minister's questions, Cameron called on Egypt to draw up a timetable to convince people there will be a "rapid and credible" transition of power that will forge a "stable and more democratic future".
Describing this week's scenes of the protests in Cairo as "incredibly moving", the prime minister also told MPs he took a "very strong view" that political reform – "not repression" – was required following president Hosni Mubarak's decision to stand down.
In a speech broadcast on state television last night, Mubarak sought to quell a week of demonstrations by saying he would not be running for another term of office in the September elections. He promised to work during "the final months" of his term to ensure a "peaceful transfer of power".
But the delayed nature of Mubarak's concession failed to appease protesters, who maintained their presence in Cairo's main square today.
US president Barack Obama also sought to maintain pressure on Mubarak, saying last night: "What is clear is my belief an orderly transition must be meaningful, it must be peaceful, and it must begin now."
Cameron echoed Obama's words and said a timetable was needed to convince people that an orderly transition was under way.
Greater democracy in the Middle East and the Arab world were required to provide the stability required in "the long-term interests of Britain", he told MPs at prime minister's question time.
"President Mubarak says he is going and we respect that," Cameron said. "But what matters is not just the orderly transition but also that it is urgent, it is credible, it starts now. We should be clear we stand with those in this country who want freedom and democracy and rights the world over.
"And the more they can do with a timetable to convince people it's true, the more the country can settle down to a stable and more democratic future."
He said the reforms needed to go beyond simply holding an election.
"Where we need to be clear is that when we talk about democracy, we don't just mean the act of holding an election, we mean the building blocks of democracy," he said.
"I want to see a partnership for open societies where we encourage stronger civil society, stronger rights, stronger rule of law, a proper place for the army in society, proper independent judiciary."
The prime minister reinforced the call for faster progress, telling MPs the transition needed to be "rapid and credible and it needs to start now".
The Labour leader, Ed Miliband, said: "Far from indicating support for extremism, the people on the streets of Egypt are actually demanding some very basic things: jobs, freedom of speech and the right to choose by whom they are governed."
He said democracy represented the "best route to stability" in Egypt.
Cameron told the Commons that the "first concern" remained the safety of UK nationals in Egypt. Travel advice for the estimated 30,000 UK nationals around the Red Sea area had not changed because matters there remain "calm and stable".
In Cairo, where there are about 3,000 citizens, and in Alexandria, with an estimated 300, many had been urged to return to the UK. There were still very good commercial flights and a flight commissioned by the UK government had been added, Cameron said.
He told MPs that 1,000 had returned from Egypt in the past 48 hours, and praised the UK's response.
"I think the UK government has acted swiftly," he said. "We had a rapid deployment of 25 special consulate staff to Cairo. The military logistics' team of eight were sent out immediately and we were the first country to set up a team at the Cairo airport, which many other countries have gone on to imitate.
"I don't take any of this for granted, there needs to be absolutely no complacency, but I think our ambassador, Dominic Asquith, and his team have done an excellent job."
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