Egypt's leaders must listen to its people, US Secretary of State Kerry tells counterpart

WASHINGTON - Reuters

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry makes a statement to the media regarding his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Bandar Seri Begawan July 2. REUTERS photo

Egypt's leaders must respect the views of the Egyptian people, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in a call with Egypt's foreign minister on July 2, according to a State Department spokeswoman. 

In the call, Kerry told Mohamed Kamel Amr: "It is important to listen to the Egyptian people," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters in a briefing.

"Democracy is about more than just elections. It's about ensuring that people can have their voices heard peacefully," Psaki added. 

The call was made amid reports that Egypt's foreign minister had resigned. President Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's first freely elected leader, was clinging to power with tens of thousands of people on the streets of his country from rival factions. 

For his part, U.S. President Barack Obama had called Morsi on July 1, ecnouraging him "to take steps to show that he is responsive to their concerns," according to a White House statement.