BRUSSELS/ HALIFAX: The European Union’s on Sunday condemned the bloodshed in Egypt, where security forces killed at least 20 people as they cleared protesters from Cairo’s Tahrir Square.
"I am extremely concerned at the riots and violent clashes witnessed in Egypt, notably in Tahrir square over the weekend," the EU’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement.
"I deplore the loss of life and the many injuries and express my solidarity with the families of the victims. I urge calm and restraint and condemn the use of violence in the strongest terms," she added.
Security forces killed at least 20 people in Tahrir Square Sunday, casting a dark shadow over Egypt’s first elections since Hosni Mubarak’s downfall, due on Nov. 28.
Police and military forces used batons, tear gas and birdshot to clear the central square of thousands of protesters who are demanding that the ruling military cede power to a civilian authority.
It was the second day of violence in the Egyptian capital and in other parts of the country protesters also clashed with the security forces.
"There is no doubt that the transitional process is a difficult and challenging one," Ashton said in her statement.
"I have expressed my concern in the past about the emergency law and the ongoing military trials.
"Law and order must be ensured in a manner respectful of human rights," she added.
"Citizens and political parties’ demands that the transition moves forward and safeguards the principles of democracy must be listened to."
Italy’s new foreign minister Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata and his German counterpart Guido Westerwelle called for an end to violence in Syria and Egypt after talks on key European issues in Rome Sunday.
"The two ministers expressed deep concern for the escalation of violence in Syria" and reiterated their support for an Arab League roadmap for peace in the country, they said in a joint statement.
Westerwelle and Terzi di Sant’Agata were also worried "over the news from Egypt concerning violent clashes between the population and security forces", it said.
"They appealed to all sides to immediately refrain from any further acts of violence."
NATO on Sunday guarded against "unrealistic expectations" for peace and democracy in the Middle East and North Africa.
"The whole region is going through a complicated, difficult process of reform," James Appathurai, NATO deputy assistant secretary general for political affairs and security policy, told a defense summit in Canada.
"I think it’s important for the public not to have unrealistic expectations about how quickly this will happen or that the outcome is necessarily foreseen to be the one we might wish it to be," he told reporters.
"So, we have to be patient, offer support where we can, we can’t impose it, and that’s what we’re doing."
Some 300 generals, defense ministers and officials from around the world gathered at the Halifax International Security Forum in easternmost Canada.
Canada’s defense minister said heavy clashes pitting Egyptian forces against protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square are "very troubling," as he called for a peaceful transition to democracy.
"The situation in Egypt is very troubling," Defense Minister Peter MacKay told reporters at the end of a three-day defense summit in easternmost Canada.
"At the same time, it’s symptomatic of the challenge that still exists in Egypt as (it) makes the transition to a more democratic inclusive process."
In Egypt, protesters have been chanting against the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and calling for the overthrow of Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, Mubarak’s long-time defense minister, who heads it.
The SCAF in a statement read out on state television said it "regretted" what was happening, and said it was committed to the elections timetable.
The military has said it will hand over power after a presidential election, which has yet to be scheduled.
