|
 Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel expressed his condolences for the
victims of a spate of recent bomb attacks in Egypt, and offered U.S.
assistance to investigate the incidents, a Pentagon spokesman said
in a statement.
A bomb exploded outside an Egyptian army building north of Cairo on
Sunday, the latest in a series of violent incidents in Egypt.
The Egyptian Army labeled the incident a terrorist attack, but did
not name the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group it declared a
terrorist organization last week.
In his call with Sisi, Hagel also "stressed the role of political
inclusiveness," and the two men discussed "the balance between
security and freedom," spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said in the
statement.
"Secretary Hagel also expressed concerns about the political climate
in advance of the constitutional referendum, including the continued
enforcement of a restrictive demonstrations law," Kirby said.
Egypt's army-backed government has used the new classification to
detained hundreds of supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, and
thousands more are already in jail.
The terrorist classification was the government's latest move to
crack down on the Islamist group following the ouster of former
President Mohamed Mursi in July.
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As friction grows between supporters and opponents of the
Brotherhood, officials have also warned Egyptians against
participating in protests in support of the group. Street clashes
have killed seven people in the last three days.
The Brotherhood, which has estimated its membership at up to a
million people, was Egypt's best organized political force until
this summer's crackdown. A political and social movement founded in
1928, it won five elections after the downfall of President Hosni
Mubarak in 2011.
Under the government's political transition plan, a referendum is
planned for mid-January on a new constitution, followed by
parliamentary polls and a presidential election.
(Reporting by Missy Ryan; editing by Eric Walsh)
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