Archive for the military council

US says new Egypt defense minister wants close ties

by admin
August 15th, 2012

WASHINGTON — The new defense minister appointed by Egypt's Islamist president has pledged to uphold the strong military ties between Cairo and Washington, Pentagon chief Leon Panetta said Tuesday.

In a surprise move Sunday, President Mohamed Morsy retired Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi — head of the military council that assumed power after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak — and replaced him with Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

"General al-Sisi expressed his unwavering commitment to the US-Egypt military-to-military relationship, which has been really an anchor of stability in the Middle East for more than 30 years," Panetta told reporters after a phone conversation with his new counterpart earlier in the day.

"I in turn indicated to him that I look forward to working with him and to continuing the relationship that we have had with Egypt over those years."

The reshuffling was seen as a test of strength between the new civilian government, which is backed by the Muslim Brotherhood, and the military, which held unrivaled influence during Mubarak's three-decade rule.

The move followed a deadly attack on the Egyptian military in the Sinai that prompted an unprecedented military campaign in the lawless peninsula.

Sisi stressed that he takes Egypt's obligations under the Camp David treaty with Israel seriously and that "he's committed to preventing the Sinai from becoming a staging area for militants," Panetta said.

"I indicated that I look forward to working closely with him to advance our shared goals in the region," the defense secretary added.

The United States — which provides over US$1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt every year — on Monday urged the country's military and government to work together.

Islamists won a landslide victory in Egyptian parliamentary elections last year, with the Muslim Brotherhood dominating the lower house.

But the military dissolved parliament in May after the Supreme Constitutional Court annulled the Islamist-led house, a decision rejected by Morsy.

Sunday's announcement marked a new twist in uneasy ties between Morsy and the army, testing the balance of power between the first civilian president in Egypt's history and a military that had moved to limit his power.

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Still unclear how new constitution will address army

by admin
July 26th, 2012

The new constitution will grant the military council a relative measure of independence, but not total freedom, said Constituent Assembly speaker Wahid Abdel Meguid on Thursday.

The National Defense Council is currently holding meetings to discuss how the new constitution should account for military institutions. These meetings are attended by General Mamdouh Shahin as a representative of the military council, Abdel Meguid told the state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram.

The Constituent Assembly has deferred discussions of the army’s budget to the National Defense Council.

The army has sought to maintain its independence from President Mohamed Morsy’s government, but political groups have demanded that its policies be reviewed and that its budget be monitored by the civilian government.

Last Monday, Al-Masry Al-Youm reported that the Constituent Assembly discussed a proposal put forward by Shahin that would grant the military substantial powers within the state, but Shahin later denied having submitted any such proposal.

Abdel Meguid said on Sunday that the proposals submitted to the assembly for the new constitution would not grant any special privileges to the military.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Wednesday’s papers: Court strikes back

by admin
July 11th, 2012

With a standoff between the military council and the newly elected president regarding the fate of the Parliament, the Supreme Constitutional Court joined in on Tuesday, adding one more player to the power struggle currently gripping the nation.

State-run daily Al-Ahram reports Wednesday that the country’s highest court halted President Mohamed Morsy's decision to reconvene the lower house of Parliament and decreed that its initial ruling be executed as issued. The military council disbanded the People's Assembly last month after the court ruled that the election of a third of MPs was unconstitutional due to a provision in the electoral law.

The court said in its Tuesday ruling that the interpretations of its decisions are binding for all state institutions, according to Al-Ahram.  Parliament was elected based on unconstitutional laws and is therefore illegitimate,  which necessitates its disbandment by law, with no need for any additional decisions, the state's flagship newspaper reports the court as saying. The court considers the president’s decision an obstacle to the execution of its ruling and consequently issued the decision to halt it, according to Al-Ahram.

Liberal Al-Wafd newspaper, in line with its party’s opposition to Morsy’s decision, leads with, “The constitutional court slaps Morsy back.” The paper quotes a constitutional expert saying that the court’s decision is final, cannot be appealed and returns legislative authority to the military council.

Freedom and Justice, the mouthpiece of the Muslim Brotherhood, responded by casting doubt over the court’s original ruling against the Parliament. The paper announces that FJP lawyer Mokhtar al-Ashry will challenge the court’s decision, alleging that the ruling was published in the Egyptian Gazette, the official publication listing new laws and government decisions, prior to its announcement in court.

The paper also referred to a 1990 Supreme Constitutional Court ruling to justify Morsy’s decision to go against the recent verdict. The 1990 ruling stated, according to the paper, that the president’s decisions are sovereign and outside of the court’s jurisdiction.

The paper quotes the presidency, which has declined to comment to other papers, denouncing judiciary interference in its work.

The FJP also overplays a demonstration organized by the party in Tahrir Square on Tuesday to support the president’s decision to reinstate Parliament. The protest was too small to make it on most front pages, but the FJP described it as “a million-man protest in Tahrir, the uprising of the people to support the president.”

Before the late-evening court ruling, Parliament held a brief session in the absence of many liberal and independent candidates who were boycotting Morsy's decision.

According to independent newspaper Al-Shorouk, Parliament Speaker Saad al-Katatny used the 13-minute long session to refer the ruling to an appeals court to decide on the fate of the Parliament.

In other news, privately owned Al-Watan reports that the Constituent Assembly debate regarding constitution Article 2 is nearing an end as an assembly committee has finally agreed on a phrasing stipulating the “principles of the Islamic Sharia” as the main source of Egypt's legislation.

Emad al-Din Hussein writes in his Al-Shorouk column that the reason for the “security, legal and political maze” that’s engulfing the whole country is the faulty road map adopted at the start of the transition period.

Hussein speculates that Morsy’s decision to reinstate the lower house could be an attempt to prove that he has the power to stand up to the military council, or part of a plan to take over legislative power.

Egypt’s papers:

Al-Ahram: Daily, state-run, largest distribution in Egypt

Al-Akhbar: Daily, state-run, second to Al-Ahram in institutional size

Al-Gomhurriya: Daily, state-run

Rose al-Youssef: Daily, state-run

Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned

Al-Shorouk: Daily, privately owned

Al-Watan: Daily, privately owned

Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party

Youm7: Daily, privately owned

Al-Tahrir: Daily, privately owned

Freedom and Justice: Daily, published by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party

Sawt al-Umma: Weekly, privately owned

Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Nasserist Party

Al-Nour: Official paper of the Salafi Nour Party

 

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Lawsuit filed against SCAF to hand full powers to Morsy

by admin
July 2nd, 2012

Lawyer Mohamed Abdel Al filed a lawsuit on Monday at the State Council’s Administrative Court requesting that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces hand over full power to President Mohamed Morsy.

“The military council caused political and economic deterioration and a decline in Egypt's international role by taking over power out of necessity when the former president was ousted. Its policies proved that it considers the Egyptian revolution a mere uprising, and it is trying to restore the former regime,” Abdel Al stated in his lawsuit.

He also said that the supplement to the Constitutional Declaration robbed the powers of the elected institutions, and that the March 2011 declaration had stated that the transitional period would end in six months, but it was unlawfully extended until the end of June 2012.

The lawsuit requested the immediate handing over of power to the elected civilian legislative and executive authorities.

A few days before announcing the results of the presidential election, the ruling military council added a supplement to the Constitutional Declaration that has governed Egypt since March 2011.

The addendum limits the powers of the president and adds to those of the military council with respect to the state budget, the Constituent Assembly tasked with writing the new constitution, and the ability to declare war, for which the president must first obtain approval from the military council. The document also takes the title of commander-in-chief of the armed forces away from the incoming president.

Thousands of Egyptians protested in Cairo and various governorates against the issuance of the supplementary constitutional declaration. Although the military council formally handed over power to President Mohamed Morsy on 30 June, there are still small groups protesting in Tahrir Square demanding the president to be granted full powers.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Kefaya criticizes Morsy for thanking military council

by admin
July 1st, 2012

The Kefaya movement condemned President Mohamed Morsy on Sunday for thanking the military council during his speech at Cairo University on Saturday.

The movement said on its Facebook page that it “rejects and criticizes Morsy for praising and thanking the military council.”

The statement mentioned some of the military’s mistakes during the interim period, which officially ended with the transfer of power to Morsy on Saturday.

The Kefaya statement went on to wonder why the Muslim Brotherhood is still staging a sit-in in Tahrir if, according to Morsy, the military council has already fulfilled its promises.

“Principles cannot be divided and constants do not change, whatever the goals were,” it concluded.

In his speech on Saturday, Morsy expressed appreciation toward Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, head of the ruling military council, and leaders of the armed forces, saying, “I’d like to thank Field Marshal Tantawi, all of the attendees, soldiers and armed forces members.”

The Kefaya movement was established in 2004 during the rule of ousted President Hosni Mubarak. It has consistently criticized the military council that took power after Mubarak’s ouster in 2011.

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Generals deny accusations military swayed presidential election

by admin
June 28th, 2012

The ruling military council denied on Wednesday allegations from a media personality that it had intervened to help President-elect Mohamed Morsy into office.

Tawfiq Okasha, a former parliamentary candidate and head of the Faraeen satellite channel, sharply denounced the military council Monday and accused the generals of rigging the elections. He claimed that his friends told him former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq was the actual victor with more than 50 percent of the vote, but that the military council agreed to announce Morsy president because it feared the Muslim Brotherhood and public outrage.

"It is impossible to rig the will of people," Supreme Council of the Armed Forces member Mahmoud Ibrahim Hegazy said during a talk show appearance on privately owned CBC satellite channel.

"The patriotic stances of the armed forces and its commander in chief, SCAF head Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, challenge this," he added, saying it would be inappropriate for the military council to intervene in election results.

"The military council avoided personal prejudices and succeeded in being neutral to uphold the will of people," he said. 

Hegazy rejected rumors that the military cut a deal with the Muslim Brotherhood and the US to sway the election in Morsy's favor.

SCAF member Major General Mohamed al-Assar, who also appeared on the talk show, said the military council was neutral toward both candidates and had pledged to conduct free and transparent elections.

"Yes, Shafiq is a son of the military institution and maintains ties with all of us [military council generals], but that doesn't mean we backed him against the other candidate. Both of them are Egyptians and met candidacy requirements, so they are both suitable for president," Assar said.

"The [military] council did not intervene directly or indirectly to give a better chance to one candidate at the expense of the other."
 
In response to a question about whether the US pressured Egypt in support of either candidate, Assar said: "The question involves an insult to the military. The military institution cannot betray [its people] and change the outcome of the elections due to pressure from the US."

Responding to objections to the military-issued supplement to the Constitutional Declaration in place since March 2011, Assar said that the document does not detract from the executive powers of the president.

Assar said Tantawi would maintain his position in the next Cabinet as defense minister and head of the military council.

The constitution supplement has triggered political outcry and is criticized for giving the military council independence from the president while diminishing the latter’s powers. It also gives the SCAF the power to appoint a new Constituent Assembly to draft the constitution if the current assembly is unable to do so.

Edited translation from MENA
 

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ElBaradei: Meeting with SCAF was fruitful

by admin
June 26th, 2012

 

Constitution Party founder Mohamed ElBaradei said Monday that his meeting with members of the military council two days ago was fruitful and resulted in mutual understanding.

ElBaradei said in a briefing that they discussed Egypt’s current problems, adding that now is the time for national reconciliation after the election of the new president. He urged all Egyptians to think of the future of the country.

ElBaradei met Saturday with head of the military council Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi and other SCAF members at the headquarters of the Defense Ministry. ElBaradei requested the meeting.

The parties discussed the supplement to the Constitutional Declaration, the dissolution of the People's Assembly and the recently passed law allowing army and intelligence personnel to arrest civilians, said sources familiar with the meeting.

Tantawi stressed his respect for the judiciary’s ruling that dissolved Parliament, and requested to postpone discussions of the supplement to the Constitutional Declaration and the arrest law until the results of the presidential election were announced. He promised to continue discussions and reach a solution that would satisfy all parties.

Attendees of the meeting also discussed possibilities for national reconciliation, said Mostafa Bakry, former MP of the now dissolved Parliament.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Former congress committee member: US secretly backing SCAF

by admin
June 24th, 2012

US-based Egyptian intellectual Khaled Abou El Fadl has highlighted claims about US pressure on Egypt's ruling military council over its recent political stances.

In a phone call with Al-Masry Al-Youm, Abou El Fadl, who is head of the Islamic philosophy department at Yale University and former head of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, said the US backs the military council’s stance on the People’s Assembly dissolution, its issuance of the complementary Constitutional Declaration, and its refusal to recognize indications of the Muslim Brotherhood’s victory in the presidential election runoffs.
 
Abou El Fadl said there had been a division in US policy on Egypt over the past months, between “the US State Department’s point of view, which supports democracy in Egypt without backing specific candidate and awaiting the election results, even if it brings a Brotherhood candidate who offered guarantees not to harm the US interests in Egypt or the region, and the Pentagon’s point of view, supported by the Israel lobby in the US, which believes Washington’s interests will not be achieved without supporting former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, to guarantee ongoing stability of US interests in Egypt and the region.”
 
“The White House was leaning toward the State Department’s point of view, but was forced to respond to Zionist pressures on the US decision, especially as the US presidential elections are approaching,” he added, saying that the US has adopted the Pentagon’s point of view.
 
Abou El Fadl said the military council in Egypt and the Saudi government also helped convince the White House of the Pentagon’s point of view — that the Egyptian revolution has ended and that Egyptians have become bored with state of instability, which had lasted since the revolt of January 2011. Thus, the White House called on the military council to support Shafiq in all legitimate ways.
 
However, “the surprise was the victory of Morsy over Shafiq at most of the polling stations that US delegations followed the process at,” he said.
 
He added that he recently attended several discussions in Washington, all of which stressed the necessity of supporting the military council in its recent decisions, using an official discourse that shows anger about what’s happening in Egypt, but supporting all the council’s decisions and granting economic aid to Egypt during the coming months if Shafiq wins.
 
“Enhancing the Israeli military forces on common borders with Egypt was also part of the Zionist pressures on the US. It aimed at delivering a message to the US that Israel will not stay with its hands tied if its borders are threatened. It will protect its borders and prevent any support to Hamas if the Brotherhood candidate assumed power,” Abou El Fadl said.
 
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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SCAF criticizes Morsy for announcing election results

by admin
June 22nd, 2012

The ruling military council issued a strongly-worded statement on Friday in response to the massive demonstrations that have been staged since the generals issued a supplement to the Constitutional Declaration which limits the power of the newly-elected president and grants the military council wide authority.



The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces criticized Mohamed Morsy claiming victory in the presidential election before the Presidential Elections Commission (PEC) makes its official announcement.

The statement said that announcing the election results early was "unjustified" and was the cause behind the division and confusion that has dominated politics in the country.

Although the statement contained indirect criticism of the ongoing protests, it asserted that the SCAF respects the right of peaceful protest. It added that maintaining state institutions is the responsibility of all, and exposing them to any harm threatens Egypt's security.

The SCAF stressed the need to respect judicial verdicts, saying that judicial verdicts are executed in the name of the people and delay in implementing them is a crime punishable by law.

“The rule of law is the basis of governance in the state” and that the generals are impartial toward all political movements, the statement added.

The military council said that it would respond to any attempts to damage public or private interests in the state with the utmost firmness and strength allowed under the law.

The statement added that the supplement to the Constitutional Declaration was a “necessity” because of the country’s current situation, and the council acts to protect the country’s interests.



Egypt has been witnessing protests since Monday following the announcement of the amendments to the interim constitution. Many were also outraged by the Supreme Constitutional Court’s ruling that dissolved the Islamist-led Parliament and a recent Justice Ministry decree that grants military officers the right to investigate and arrest civilians.



The protests coincide with the PEC’s decision to postpone the announcement of the results in the presidential runoff between Morsy and former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq.



Muslim Brotherhood members accused the SCAF on Thursday of delaying the results announcement to pressure the group into calling off the protests.



Morsy’s campaign has claimed victory, and many media outlets have published preliminary results that indicate he is the winner.



However, Shafiq refuted these results in a press conference Thursday night and said he was confident that he would be declared the winner by the PEC on Sunday.



 

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Update: Thousands protest against SCAF in Tahrir

by admin
June 22nd, 2012

Protesters gathered in Tahrir Square on Friday to participate in a protest called for by the Muslim Brotherhood against the ruling military council. Protests have been ongoing since Monday, and a number of protesters spent Thursday night in the square.

Safwat Hegazy, a preacher aligned with the Brotherhood, gave a speech in Tahrir after Friday prayers.

“We won’t allow a military state. We came here to grab power from the military council and hand it to Mohamed Morsy,” he said.

“Legitimacy is in the square, and the MPs are in the square. Don’t believe rumors that there are negotiations or deals between Morsy and the military council,” he added.

After the speech, protesters chanted, “Free revolutionaries will continue the path” and “The military council must get out.”

Sheikh Mazhar Shahin, the imam of Omar Makram Mosque, delivered the Friday sermon to thousands of protesters in Tahrir Square, calling for the cancelation of the supplementary constitutional declaration and demanding that the dissolved Parliament reconvene.

“The battle was and still is over the rights and dignity of the people. We won’t allow the return of the former regime after the revolution toppled it,” Shahin said.

“We demand there be no manipulation of the presidential election results,” he added, saying, “Tahrir Square wants legitimacy and legitimacy is on the side of Morsy.”

Protesters broke into chants of, “Down with military rule” after the sermon ended.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces issued a supplement to the Constitutional Declaration late Sunday night that expands the military council’s powers while limiting those of the future president.

Protesters called on the SCAF to cancel the supplementary declaration, transfer power as scheduled, and reinstate the People’s Assembly. They stressed that the People’s Assembly, which was dissolved after a constitutional court decision on 14 June, maintains legislative power. They also demanded that the Constituent Assembly formed by the People’s Assembly to draft the new constitution continue its work.

Protesters rejected the recently-issued Justice Ministry decree authorizing military police and intelligence to investigate and arrest civilians.

Several political parties, including the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, the Salafi Nour Party, the Wasat Party, and Jama’a al-Islamiya’s Construction and Development Party, have announced that they will take part in the protest. The April 6 Youth Movement, the Free Front for Peaceful Change, the Revolutionary Socialists, and the 25 January Revolution Youth Coalition have also said they would participate.

Protesters closed all entrances to the square with iron barricades and began to gather in front of a stage near Mohamed Mahmoud Street.

Street vendors converged on the square early in the morning in anticipation of the protest.

Edited translation from MENA 
 

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