Egypt Army Gives President Mursi 48 Hours Ultimatum To Share Power
https://nigeriaafrica1.blogspot.com/2013/07/egypt-army-gives-president-mursi-48.html
Egypt's armed forces handed Islamist President Mohamed Mursi a virtual ultimatum to share power on Monday, giving feuding politicians 48 hours to compromise or have the army impose its own road map for the country.
A dramatic military statement broadcast on state television declared the nation was in danger after millions of Egyptians took to the streets on Sunday to demand that Mursi quit and the headquarters of the ruling Muslim Brotherhood were ransacked.
Since the fall of Hosni Mubarak more than two years ago as the Arab Spring revolutions took hold, the Arab world's most populous nation has remained in turmoil, arousing concern amongst allies in the West and in neighboring Israel, with which Egypt has had a peace treaty since 1979.
Mursi's backers were furious at the military statement: "The age of military coups is over," said Yasser Hamza of the Brotherhood parliamentary wing.
But it provoked delight among liberal leaders and crowds in Cairo's Tahrir Square, who cheered when a flight of military helicopters swooped overhead trailing national flags. Silhouetted against the sunset, it was a powerful illustration of the military's desire to be seen in tune with the people.
"If the demands of the people are not realized within the defined period, it will be incumbent upon (the armed forces) ... to announce a road map for the future," chief-of-staff General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in the statement, which was followed by patriotic music.
The people had expressed their will with unprecedented clarity in the mass demonstrations, he said, and wasting more time would only increase the danger of division and strife.
The army said it would oversee the implementation of the road map it sought "with the participation of all factions and national parties, including young people," but it would not get directly involved in politics or government.
Mursi's office said later the president met Sisi and Prime Minister Hisham Kandil, releasing a picture of them seated together smiling, but did not respond to the military statement.
Anti-Mursi demonstrators outside the presidential palace cheered the army statement, and the main opposition National Salvation Front, which has demanded a national unity government for months, applauded the military's move. Spokesman Khaled Dawoud made clear there would be no talks with Mursi - he must quit and, once the 48 hours were up, they would deal with Sisi.
On Tahrir Square, thousands celebrated the army's move with a fervor that recalled its unsentimental removal of Mubarak at the end of 18 days of protests and bloodshed: "We want a new armed forces council to govern until new elections," said accountant Mohamed Ibrahim, 50. "The army alone supports the legitimate revolutionary will of the people."
Amr Moussa, a liberal politician and former foreign minister who stood in last year's presidential election, said, "The invitation to meet the demands of the people within the next few hours is a historic opportunity which should not be lost."
It was the second time in just over a week that the armed forces had issued a formal warning to the politicians, piling pressure on Mursi to concede power-sharing.
Since the fall of Hosni Mubarak more than two years ago as the Arab Spring revolutions took hold, the Arab world's most populous nation has remained in turmoil, arousing concern amongst allies in the West and in neighboring Israel, with which Egypt has had a peace treaty since 1979.
Mursi's backers were furious at the military statement: "The age of military coups is over," said Yasser Hamza of the Brotherhood parliamentary wing.
But it provoked delight among liberal leaders and crowds in Cairo's Tahrir Square, who cheered when a flight of military helicopters swooped overhead trailing national flags. Silhouetted against the sunset, it was a powerful illustration of the military's desire to be seen in tune with the people.
"If the demands of the people are not realized within the defined period, it will be incumbent upon (the armed forces) ... to announce a road map for the future," chief-of-staff General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in the statement, which was followed by patriotic music.
The people had expressed their will with unprecedented clarity in the mass demonstrations, he said, and wasting more time would only increase the danger of division and strife.
The army said it would oversee the implementation of the road map it sought "with the participation of all factions and national parties, including young people," but it would not get directly involved in politics or government.
Mursi's office said later the president met Sisi and Prime Minister Hisham Kandil, releasing a picture of them seated together smiling, but did not respond to the military statement.
Anti-Mursi demonstrators outside the presidential palace cheered the army statement, and the main opposition National Salvation Front, which has demanded a national unity government for months, applauded the military's move. Spokesman Khaled Dawoud made clear there would be no talks with Mursi - he must quit and, once the 48 hours were up, they would deal with Sisi.
On Tahrir Square, thousands celebrated the army's move with a fervor that recalled its unsentimental removal of Mubarak at the end of 18 days of protests and bloodshed: "We want a new armed forces council to govern until new elections," said accountant Mohamed Ibrahim, 50. "The army alone supports the legitimate revolutionary will of the people."
Amr Moussa, a liberal politician and former foreign minister who stood in last year's presidential election, said, "The invitation to meet the demands of the people within the next few hours is a historic opportunity which should not be lost."
It was the second time in just over a week that the armed forces had issued a formal warning to the politicians, piling pressure on Mursi to concede power-sharing.
