Russia’s three warships do not plan to stop at Syria port of Tartus, but may do so if they need to resupply, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said.
Tags: Russian warships, Ministry of DefenseArchive for Ministry of Defense
Russian warships set sail to Mediterranean amid possible Syria evacuation
by admin
December
18th,
2012
Supporters of Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi gathered late Sunday in front of the gates of the Ministry of Defense in the Abbasseya area in East Cairo, after he was sent into retirement along with Chief of Staff Sami Anan by President Mohamed Morsy.
Protesters chanted "Down with the supreme guide rule," referring to the supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsy hails.
In a bold move earlier on Sunday, Morsy sent Tantawi and Chief of Staff Sami Anan into retirement.
Military police surrounded the protes,t which blocked one side of the road. Some fights eventually erupted when an ambulance tried to cross through the blocked road.
"I am here to express my objection to Morsy's decision. Tantawi's right place is head of SCAF," said George Michael, an accountant participating in the protest.
Faten, a 50-year-old woman, said that she is there to protest against the rule of the Brotherhood. "I refuse to live in a place like Iran. This is an attempt to remove the last of the honorable men who fought during the October [1973] war," she said.
The Ministry of Defense has been the site of fierce clashes between military police and protesters in May, following the army's forcible clearing of an anti-SCAF sit-in.
Pro-SCAF protesters have been gathering more recently at the Unknown Soldier Memorial in Nasr City.
Tags: Ministry of Defense, President Mohamed Morsy, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, Supreme Guide, Muslim Brotherhood, Military police
In a statement Friday, the Muslim Brotherhood condemned violent tactics used by the security forces against protesters Friday, calling on SCAF to prevent further violence.
The Brotherhood also said protesters should not clash with armed forces “whose job it is to secure the Department of Defense building.”
The demands of the Ministry of Defense sit-in are the same set of demands the Brotherhood called for in its weekly “save the revolution” demonstrations in Tahrir square, which came to an end on Friday, the statement said.
“Those are the same demands of all Egyptian people, who are determined for the presidential elections to be held on time as scheduled, in free, fair and peaceful atmosphere,” it said.
The group also called for the release of media figures and journalists who had been detained throughout the clashes and that those responsible for the violence face speedy and just trials.
Tags: security forces, the Brotherhood, Muslim Brotherhood, Ministry of Defense, Armed Forces, Department of Defense
The ruling military council said during a Thursday press conference it would abide by a previously established timetable to hand over power to civilians, despite what it described as “acts of sabotage” to derail the upcoming presidential election.
"What is taking place in Abbasseya Square is clear and known to us all, and nobody will be able to ruin the roadmap that aims to [achieve] the interests of Egypt," Major General Mokhtar al-Mulla, a member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, said during the news conference at the State Information Service headquarters.
Following sporadic clashes at an Abbasseya sit-in near the Ministry of Defense and ahead of a march planned for Friday by the Revolutionary Socialists group, he warned protesters not to approach the ministry premises.
“We warn anyone carrying a weapon, we won’t allow anybody to assault symbols of the state and the armed forces," Mulla said. "The forces deployed around the Ministry of Defense intend to stop anyone from trying to reach the ministry."
Mulla ruled out the possibility of introducing amendments to the March 2011 Constitutional Declaration, which has governed Egypt during the transitional period.
"Article 28 of the Constitutional Declaration has the force of law and cannot be canceled by the force of bullying," he said, referring to a controversial article granting the Presidential Elections Commission immunity from court challenges.
Mulla reiterated previous assertions that the armed forces does not want a special position in the new constitution.
When a journalist present challenged him by saying Egypt was witnessing bloody massacres, he rejected the allegation.
Major General Mohamed al-Assar criticized rumors that the SCAF plotted the bloody events to retain power, saying, "After all [of the arrangements for a transfer of power], they say we are plotting for a military coup?
Assar said the military has worked hard to help the Egyptian people achieve a Parliament, a president and a constitution.
“After the handover of power, everyone will see that what has been said against the military was never true, and will recognize the historic role the SCAF has played,” he added.
The military does not support one candidate for president, and "international and regional powers are unhappy with the success Egypt has reached," he claimed.
Assar said the Abbasseya sit-in that began Friday is a “big mistake” due to its proximity to the Defense Ministry and other military institutions.
“It also affected schools, universities and hospitals in the area. That’s why we are saying that Tahrir Square is a suitable place,” he said.
Major General Mamdouh Shahin, the assistant defense minister for legal affairs and member of SCAF, said the Constitutional Declaration was not the reason for the recent violence. He added that the military council solicited the help of many constitutional experts when it was drafting the Constitutional Declaration, and that the articles included were essential to govern the transitional period.
Tags: Major General Mokhtar al-Mulla, State Information Service, Ministry of Defense, the military, Abbasseya Square, transitional period, Presidential Elections Commission immunity
No deaths have been reported in the clashes between unidentified armed men and supporters of excluded presidential candidate Hazem Salah Abu Ismail on Saturday evening, according to the Ministry of Defense.
In the Abbasseya area of Cairo, near the Ministry of Defense, men used Molotov cocktails to attack the protesters, who threw rocks back at them. Buckshot wounds were also reported by witnesses attempting to rescue the injured.
Witnesses also said Molotov cocktails were thrown from atop nearby buildings.
Several injuries have been reported by witnesses, and a field hospital was quickly set up. Mona Saeed, who volunteered in the hospital, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the injuries were mostly caused by buckshot.
One protester was hit with live ammunition to his head and his condition remains critical, according to the hospital volunteers. Other people hit by live ammunition were taken to a nearby public hospital, as they suffered intensive bleeding.
Abu Ismail's supporters, who have been camping in the area, formed human shields to stop the clashes, while chanting "God is great" and "Down with military rule."
Abu Ismail's supporters have been staging a sit-in near the Ministry of Defense since Friday night to protest his exclusion from the presidential race. The sit-in also included other protesters who demanded a swift handover of power from the military to a civilian authority, and lifting the judicial immunity of the Presidential Elections Commission.
The Salafi preacher called on people through his Facebook page to join his supporters in Abbasseya. "I call on the people of the nearby neighborhoods to go immediately to the area to increase numbers, so that we don't get more attacks on the fewer people there. Quickly go. Everyone has to expect anything at any moment," he wrote.
A march of a few hundred protesters reached the scene after midnight. They chanted, "we're protesting, and the right is on our side; the [military] council is challenging us."
No deaths have been reported in the clashes between unidentified armed men and supporters of excluded presidential candidate Hazem Salah Abu Ismail on Saturday evening, according to the Ministry of Defense.
In the Abbasseya area of Cairo, near the Ministry of Defense, men used Molotov cocktails to attack the protesters, who threw rocks back at them. Buckshot wounds were also reported by witnesses attempting to rescue the injured.
Witnesses also said Molotov cocktails were thrown from atop nearby buildings.
Several injuries have been reported by witnesses, and a field hospital was quickly set up. Mona Saeed, who volunteered in the hospital, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the injuries were mostly caused by buckshot.
One protester was hit with live ammunition to his head and his condition remains critical, according to the hospital volunteers. Other people hit by live ammunition were taken to a nearby public hospital, as they suffered intensive bleeding.
Abu Ismail's supporters, who have been camping in the area, formed human shields to stop the clashes, while chanting "God is great" and "Down with military rule."
Abu Ismail's supporters have been staging a sit-in near the Ministry of Defense since Friday night to protest his exclusion from the presidential race. The sit-in also included other protesters who demanded a swift handover of power from the military to a civilian authority, and lifting the judicial immunity of the Presidential Elections Commission.
The Salafi preacher called on people through his Facebook page to join his supporters in Abbasseya. "I call on the people of the nearby neighborhoods to go immediately to the area to increase numbers, so that we don't get more attacks on the fewer people there. Quickly go. Everyone has to expect anything at any moment," he wrote.
A march of a few hundred protesters reached the scene after midnight. They chanted, "we're protesting, and the right is on our side; the [military] council is challenging us."
Unidentified thugs clashed on Saturday evening with supporters of former presidential candidate Hazem Salah Abou Ismail, who have been camping in the Abasseya area of Cairo, near the Ministry of Defense,
Thugs used Molotov cocktails to attack the protesters who threw rocks back at them.
Several injuries have been reported by witnesses, while a field hospital was already set up.
Abou Ismail's supporters have staged a sit-in near the Ministry of Defense since Friday night to protest the exclusion of the Salafi preacher from the presidential race.
Tags: Abou Ismail, Ministry of Defense, Molotov cocktails, Abou Ismail supporters, Hazem Salah Abou Ismail, presidential candidate
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