Egypt: President Morsi to authorise army to take on security role, have arrest powers

Cairo: Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi, facing street protests over his attempts to push through a new constitution, will soon authorise the armed forces to help police keep order, the state-run newspaper al-Ahram reported on Saturday. The daily said the cabinet had also approved a legal measure.

The armed forces would help 'maintain security and protect vital state institutions' and would be given powers of arrest, but it was not clear when the measure will be put into effect. The opposition was still staging protests around Morsi's official palace, where clashes with his Islamist supporters killed seven people and wounded 350 earlier this week.

Egypt's military was the power behind all previous presidents and an army council temporarily took over after a popular revolt toppled Hosni Mubarak last year. However, Morsi pushed the generals aside in August, two months after he was elected and they have shown no appetite to intervene in the latest crisis in the most populous Arab nation.

Egypt\'s cabinet has approved a measure to let army \'maintain security and protect vital state institutions\'.

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