Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawy told the cabinet on Wednesday that the decision to break up the sit-ins of ousted President Mohamed Morsy's supporters in Rabaa al-Adaweya and al-Nahda squares is irreversible.
He urged the protesters to leave, promised them transportation, and assured them that they would not be prosecuted.
“The sanctity of Ramadan prevented us from implementing the decision,” he said, hoping that this might have given all parties a chance to consider a peaceful solution.
“The government is running out of patience,” he said, pointing to the use of weapons against citizens and police, the blocking of streets, and the abuse of children. “These are all crimes and against the law.”
He warned the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood against escalating the matter. “The government will remain the protector of the popular will that was strongly manifested on 30 June,” he said. “And it praises the great efforts made by the police.”
Beblawy expressed the cabinet’s regret for the casualties of the villages in Minya, and stressed that anyone fomenting sectarian strife would be brought to trial.
