Press TV has talked with Stephen Lendman, an author and radio host from Chicago, to shed more light on the ongoing power crisis in Egypt.What follows is an approximate transcription of the interview.
Press TV:Mr. Lendman, Iran is saying that foreign agenda could be involved in this and that there are forces in the region or outside of the region who would not want to see a strong Egypt. How do you see these kinds of comments?
Lendman:I absolutely agree with that. There is no question, Washington prefers violence and instability, it wants Egypt like other countries in the region and elsewhere subservient to the US interests. Washingtons dirty hands are all over what is going on. It was the same thing that happened in 2011 to oust Mubarak.
The Egyptian people, a great majority of the Egyptian people, on both sides of the Morsi issue, have deep grievances that have gone unaddressed for decades.
So, even the pro-Morsi supporters know that there were terrible things going on. Thereve harmed their welfare so much and they have not been addressed by the men they support; they have not been addressed for decades, they will not be addressed.
Ousting Morsi will accomplish nothing, these grievances will go on just the way they had been before.
They are worse than ever now, worse than under Mubarak, it is a terrible situation and I do not know what will happen ahead.
I expect this conflict to continue until it erupts to a civil war. I sort of doubt it, but you never can tell. These things have spin out of control and anything that happened..., just yesterday, my goodness, over 50 people died, so another 50 die today, another 50 tomorrow; this thing will be very bloody for an extended period.
Press TV:So what do you think about the question of who these armed men are? Are they affiliated to the military or are they affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood or even some have been saying that they are affiliated to powers even outside of Egypt.
Do you have any opinion on that or any thoughts or guesses?
Lendman:Well, my understanding is that the pro-Morsi supporters were praying peacefully outside the facility where Morsi supposedly is being held. They were not committing any violence, they were not being disruptive in any way and yet 50 of them, including women and children, were shot dead. Body shots, chest shots, head shots. It had to have been snipers, it had to have been Egypts military; who else would have done something like this. There is no question in my mind who bears responsibility.
Outside forces having involved in it, you bet ... outside forces, America, Israel, maybe some key NATO partners like Britain and France, this is the thing that goes on. What is going on in Syria in a different way is going on in Egypt now. It is not a war, but it is a war low level against the Egyptian people to ensure that the same power interests run the country and the people are denied basic rights they deserved and that is a plan from Egypts Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, SCAF, it is a plan from Washington, it is a plan from Israel unless Egyptians do something nonviolently to change this, theyre stuck with this and things will only get worse.
By Press TV
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