Egypt leader defends army chief's dismissal

PanARMENIAN.Net - Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi has denied trying to marginalise the army after he ordered the retirement of his powerful defense minister, saying he was acting in the interests of the country, according to AFP.

However, the Egyptian press on Monday, August 13 described Morsi's move as "revolutionary", with some saying it was aimed at ending the power of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).

"I never intended, through my decisions, to marginalise or be unjust toward anyone, but rather to act so that we advance toward a better future, with a new generation, long-awaited new blood," Morsi said in a speech at Cairo's al-Azhar mosque late on Sunday.

"I only wish them the best. I want them to devote themselves to a mission, the protection of the nation," he said.

"I did not intend to embarrass institutions," he added, saying he had "the interest of the country in mind."

In a move that drew thousands of Islamist supporters to Cairo's Tahrir Square in celebration, Morsi Sunday effectively dismissed Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who ruled Egypt for more than a year after the revolution that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak.

Armed forces chief of staff Sami Anan was also retired, state television said, a week after a deadly attack on the Egyptian military in the Sinai prompted an unprecedented military campaign in the lawless peninsula.