Islamists hail Morsy's Egypt victory, West cautious

LONDON (Reuters) - Islamists around the world hailed Mohamed Morsy's election as Egypt's first freely chosen president as a victory for their cause on Sunday while the West, Gulf states and Israel reacted with caution, wary of his political agenda.

Closely watched from Gaza to the Gulf, the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate's win over former army general Ahmed Shafik was widely seen as an historic event with far-reaching consequences beyond Egypt's borders.

"The Egyptian nation did not elect a president just for Egypt, but for the Arab and Islamic nations too," said Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for Hamas in Gaza.

Viewing the victory through the prism of the Arab Spring uprisings that toppled leaders in Tunisia, Libya, and Yemen as well as Egypt, Islamists said they saw Morsy's win as proof their "revolution" was on the march.

"Mohamed Morsy a president for Egypt, thank God," said Mohammed al-Qahtani, a co-founder of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA), a group pushing for democracy in the Gulf state.

"This is a victory for the Arab revolutions," he said in a post on social networking site Twitter.

The United States, which provides vast military aid to Egypt, welcomed the result but made it clear it expected Morsy to ensure stability and not to veer to extremes.

"We believe that it is important for President-elect Morsy to take steps at this historic time to advance national unity by reaching out to all parties and constituencies in consultations about the formation of a new government," White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement, calling on the new leader to ensure Egypt remains "a pillar of regional peace".

Iran, which prides itself on its own Islamist credentials, paid fulsome tribute to those it called "the martyrs of the (Egyptian) revolution", whom it said were responsible for ushering in "a splendid vision of democracy."

"The revolutionary movement of the Egyptian people... is in its final phases of a new era of developments in the Middle East and the Islamic Awakening," the foreign ministry said.

In Saudi Arabia, the world's number one oil producer, the government was silent. It has had poor relations with the Muslim Brotherhood, with many of the kingdom's officials accusing it of backing demands for internal political change.

However, analysts said Saudi Arabia would have to work with the new Egyptian president.

"I think (the Saudis) are going to be very practical about it. More and more they will discover common interests in the economy, in politics, on how to deal with Iran," said Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent former newspaper editor with ties to the ruling family.

"BUILD BRIDGES"

In Britain, William Hague, the foreign minister, also gave a muted welcome to Morsy's victory.

"It will be important for the new government to stand for national unity and reconciliation, to build bridges across Egyptian society and to uphold human rights, including the rights of women and religious minorities, and the rule of law," Hague said in a statement.

France issued a similar statement. "It is key today that the transition, which started in February 2011, continues so that a democratic and pluralist political system establishes itself in Egypt, guaranteeing civil liberties and political freedom to all citizens," the office of President Francois Hollande said.

Israel voiced respect for Morsy's victory and the "democratic process", but called on the new administration in Cairo to maintain the peace accord maintained by Egypt's ousted leader Hosni Mubarak for 33 years.

Across the Gulf, reaction was cautious.

In the United Arab Emirates, the WAM news agency said the government respected "the choice of the Egyptian people in the context of its democratic march".

However, Dahi Khalfan, the Dubai police chief, was more skeptical. "An unfortunate choice," he said in a tweet. "The repercussions of this choice will not be light to poor ordinary people."

Bahrain's state news agency said King Hamad congratulated Morsy, praising "an atmosphere of freedom and democracy".

In Iraq, Ali al-Moussawi, an aide to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, said the government welcomed the win as "a major step in the right direction to boost democracy in Egypt".

A senior Western diplomat in Cairo made it clear the West was trying to put a brave face on Morsy's win and was keen to stress the nature of the election that brought him to power.

"Egypt has a civilian, democratically elected president for the first time in its history," the diplomat said.

"An imperfect presidency is way better than none at all," he said, urging the Brotherhood not to provoke the army, which has curbed presidential powers, into limiting them anymore.

STREET REACTION

Many Egyptians living abroad expressed relief, saying they felt their homeland finally had a chance to flourish.

In Riyadh, Abdulhamid Saraya, 60, an expatriate Egyptian engineer, said Morsy's win was a watershed.

"I am happy we are ending 30 years of injustice. (Ahmed) Shafik's loss is an end to a dark age that forced us to leave the country and live abroad most of our lives to escape injustice and poor living conditions," he told Reuters.

Muslims elsewhere said they were also pleased with the result, but some had advice for the new president.

In Algeria, Atef Kedadra, a senior journalist on the country's El Khabar daily newspaper told Reuters Morsy's victory carried tremendous symbolic importance but he would now have to show he was inclusive. "If he appoints only Islamists, he will lose because the Islamists are not used to ruling a country."

In Abu Dhabi, a 37-year-old government employee who gave his name as Seif, was upbeat. "I am sure Egypt has a bright future. The Brothers are forced to keep up with modernity, progress and openness. They don't want to destroy or harm their country."

Catherine al-Talli, a prominent Syrian human rights lawyer, said events in Egypt were likely to encourage the opposition battling President Bashar al-Assad.

"It shows that the popular will brings about democratic change, and that when the people chose to rise against repression they can defeat it," she said.

In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Laya, a woman who goes to Cairo frequently, said she was concerned about how Morsy's victory would change the way women were treated.

"They will think it's now okay to approach girls and reprimand them for the way they dress," she told Reuters.

(Reporting by Dan Williams in Jerusalem, Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza, Angus McDowall and Marwa Rashad in Riyadh, Rania Al Gamal, Andrew Hammond and Joseph Logan in Dubai, Lamine Chikhi in Algiers, Ahmed Rasheed, Andrew Torchia, Isabel Coles, Muriel Boselli, Regan Doherty, and Raissa Kasolowsky; Writing by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Philippa Fletcher)

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