Egypt's recently resigned vice president for international affairs, Mohamed ElBaradei, opposed the forcible dispersal of Islamist sit-ins last week, according to liberal Wafd Party chairman, al-Sayyed al-Badawy.
In an interview with satellite channel Dream TV late Saturday, Badawy revealed that ElBaradei had telephoned him and told him he opposed the use of force in breaking up sit-ins, demanding the return of ousted President Mohamed Morsy, at Cairo's Rabaa al-Adaweya and al-Nahda suqares.
The move by Egyptian authorities left hundreds dead and instigated further violence between Morsy supporters and local residents and security forces.
“I can no longer bear responsibility for decisions that I do not agree with, and whose repercussions I dread. I cannot be responsible for a single drop of blood before God, my conscience, and my people, especially because I believe the dropping of that blood could have been avoided," ElBaradei had stressed in his resignation letter last week.
Al-Badawy claimed that U.S. support for the Brotherhood and Morsy was the result of a deal between both sides, adding that "the U.S. is afraid of exposing that deal to international opinion as it would cause embarassment."
Last week sources told Egypt Independent the Egyptian government was divided over how to tackle pro-Morsy sit-ins at Rabaa and Nahda.
ElBaradei reportedly discussed tactics with Defense Minister General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim, stressing that sit-ins should be left to fizzle out, as support for them continued to wane.
The ex-vice president said that the Muslim Brotherhood was already losing support day after day because of the sit-ins, meaning that they could lose the majority of sympathisers within a month or two if the sit-ins were left to continue.
Army and police forces moved in on the two pro-Morsy sites on Wednesday, leading to the deaths of hundreds of protesters.
Reports emerged on Sunday morning that ElBaradei was catching a flight to Vienna, where he has a home, from Cairo International Airport.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
