Envoy denies evacuation of Turkish embassy in Cairo

Turkish Ambassador to Cairo Hüseyin Avni Botsali denied media reports this morning that the Turkish Embassy in Cairo was evacuated due to protests in front of the building on Jan. 30. Thousands of liberal demonstrators calling for an end to military rule in Egypt were blocked by members of the Muslim Brotherhood from reaching the Egyptian parliament yesterday. "There were two protesting groups [composed of] Islamist and liberals in front of the Parliament building, which is near to our embassy building," Botsali told the Hurriyet Daily News by phone. "When the tension escalated, thousands of protestors rushed into Falaki Street where our embassy is," he said. Botsali said he decided to close the embassy early and send the personnel to their homes "considering the possibility of a clash between the groups and possible entries to the embassy building." "There was no question of any protests or slogans against Turkey," Botsali said and added he returned to the embassy at 6 p.m. without difficulty on foot. "Currently, the Turkish Embassy in Cairo is open and working," Botsali concluded."