Egypt's military issues 48-hour ultimatum
Source: Agencies |
July 2, 2013, Tuesday
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EGYPT'S powerful military warned yesterday it will intervene if the Islamist president doesn't "meet the people's demands," giving him and his opponents two days to reach an agreement, as thousands of protesters massed for a second day calling on Mohammed Morsi to step down.
The 48-hour ultimatum, said the military, was a "last chance."
The military's statement, read on state television, puts enormous pressure on Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood. So far, the president has vowed he will remain in his position, but the opposition and crowds in the street ? who numbered in the millions nationwide on Sunday ? have made clear they will accept nothing less than his departure and a transition to early presidential elections.
That makes military action when the deadline runs out nearly inevitable, since a deal seems unlikely. It did not define the "people's demands" that must be met. But it strongly suggested that Sunday's gigantic rallies expressed the desire of Egyptians, raising the likelihood it would insist on Morsi's departure.
Cheers erupted from many protesters watching the statement in Cairo's Tahrir Square as military helicopters buzzed overhead. "Come out, el-Sissi. The people want to topple the regime," protesters in the Nile Delta city of Mahalla el-Kubra chanted, urging military chief General Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to intervene.
Already, the military's presence in Cairo has increased at sensitive spots the past two days. Troops yesterday manned checkpoints on roads leading to a pro-Morsi rally of Islamists near his palace. They checked cars for weapons, after repeated reports some Islamists were arming themselves.
The military praised the anti-Morsi protests as "glorious," saying the participants expressed their opinion "in peaceful and civilized manner," and that "it is necessary that the people get a reply to their calls."
The military underlined it will "not be a party in politics or rule." But it said it has a responsibility to act because Egypt's national security is facing a "grave danger."
"The Armed Forces repeat its call for the people's demands to be met and give everyone 48 hours as a last chance to shoulder the burden of the historic moment," it said.
If the demands are not realized in that time, the military would be obliged to "announce a road-map for the future and the steps for overseeing its implementation, with participation of all patriotic and sincere parties and movements, excluding no one."
The group that organized Sunday's mass rallies, Tamarod, issued an ultimatum of its own yesterday, giving Morsi until the next day at 5pm to step down or it would escalate its campaign with larger marches and "complete civil disobedience."
In a sign of Morsi's growing isolation, five Cabinet ministers met yesterday to consider resigning their posts and joining the protest movement, the state news agency said.
Yesterday's statement was the military's second ultimatum. Earlier, it gave the two sides a week to reach an agreement. That ultimatum expired on Sunday, with Morsi repeating his longstanding offer for dialogue, which the opposition rejected.
The 48-hour ultimatum, said the military, was a "last chance."
The military's statement, read on state television, puts enormous pressure on Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood. So far, the president has vowed he will remain in his position, but the opposition and crowds in the street ? who numbered in the millions nationwide on Sunday ? have made clear they will accept nothing less than his departure and a transition to early presidential elections.
That makes military action when the deadline runs out nearly inevitable, since a deal seems unlikely. It did not define the "people's demands" that must be met. But it strongly suggested that Sunday's gigantic rallies expressed the desire of Egyptians, raising the likelihood it would insist on Morsi's departure.
Cheers erupted from many protesters watching the statement in Cairo's Tahrir Square as military helicopters buzzed overhead. "Come out, el-Sissi. The people want to topple the regime," protesters in the Nile Delta city of Mahalla el-Kubra chanted, urging military chief General Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to intervene.
Already, the military's presence in Cairo has increased at sensitive spots the past two days. Troops yesterday manned checkpoints on roads leading to a pro-Morsi rally of Islamists near his palace. They checked cars for weapons, after repeated reports some Islamists were arming themselves.
The military praised the anti-Morsi protests as "glorious," saying the participants expressed their opinion "in peaceful and civilized manner," and that "it is necessary that the people get a reply to their calls."
The military underlined it will "not be a party in politics or rule." But it said it has a responsibility to act because Egypt's national security is facing a "grave danger."
"The Armed Forces repeat its call for the people's demands to be met and give everyone 48 hours as a last chance to shoulder the burden of the historic moment," it said.
If the demands are not realized in that time, the military would be obliged to "announce a road-map for the future and the steps for overseeing its implementation, with participation of all patriotic and sincere parties and movements, excluding no one."
The group that organized Sunday's mass rallies, Tamarod, issued an ultimatum of its own yesterday, giving Morsi until the next day at 5pm to step down or it would escalate its campaign with larger marches and "complete civil disobedience."
In a sign of Morsi's growing isolation, five Cabinet ministers met yesterday to consider resigning their posts and joining the protest movement, the state news agency said.
Yesterday's statement was the military's second ultimatum. Earlier, it gave the two sides a week to reach an agreement. That ultimatum expired on Sunday, with Morsi repeating his longstanding offer for dialogue, which the opposition rejected.
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