Egypt's army chief wants mandate to ‘confront "violence’

PanARMENIAN.Net - Egypt's army chief has called for demonstrations on Friday, July 26 to give the military a mandate to confront "violence and potential terrorism", BBC News reported.

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he was not calling for public unrest and wanted national reconciliation.

The army removed President Mohammed Morsi from power on July 3, triggering huge street protests by his supporters.

In another development on Wednesday, the U.S. said it was delaying the sale of four F-16 military jets to Egypt.

Washington has said it is examining whether the military takeover constitutes a coup, as US law prohibits the sending of aid to any country whose elected leader is deposed by a military coup.

The Muslim Brotherhood and other supporters of Morsi say they will go ahead with their own rallies on Friday, despite General Sisi's statement.

Senior Brotherhood figure Mohamed el-Beltagy said Gen Sisi was "calling for a civil war... to protect this military coup".

"He is proving that he is the actual ruler of the country, and that the president, his vice president and the government do not hold any power," he added.

In a speech at a military graduation ceremony, which was broadcast on television, Gen Sisi said: "I urge the people to take to the streets this coming Friday to prove their will and give me, the army and police, a mandate to confront possible violence and terrorism. So that in case there was a resort to violence and terrorism, the army would have a mandate to confront this."

Gen Sisi, who is also the defense minister in the new government, rejected rumors about divisions within the army ranks. "I swear by God that the Egyptian army is united," he said.

Referring to the army's intervention to remove Morsi early this month, Gen Sisi said: "I urged the former president to be a president for all Egyptians".

And, recalling the 2012 presidential election when Morsi was voted into office, he said that he had advised Islamists not to field a presidential candidate - but that they had ignored him.