Cairo: Egypt's new Islamist president Mohamed Morsi dismissed Cairo's two top generals on Sunday and cancelled a military order that curbed his powers, in a dramatic move that could free him of some of the restrictions of military rule.
It was not clear how far the measures were agreed with the dismissed Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, whose Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) had taken over when Hosni Mubarak was deposed - nor how far they would shift the power balance between the generals and Morsi's long-suppressed Muslim Brotherhood.
A member of the military council told Reuters that Morsi, a moderate Islamist popularly elected in June but with constitutional powers sharply circumscribed in advance by the generals, had consulted Tantawi, 76, and General Sami Enan, 64, the military chief of staff, before ordering both men to retire.
However, coupled with what Morsi's spokesman described as the cancellation of the constitutional declaration issued just before Morsi's election, by which Tantawi and his colleagues curbed presidential powers, the surprise move seemed to indicate a substantial reordering of Egypt's political forces as it waits for a new constitution after six decades of unbroken army rule....
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12:31 AM, Aug 13, 2012
Alexandria: Protesters threw tomatoes and shoes at US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's motorcade on Sunday during her first visit to Egypt since the election of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi. A tomato struck an Egyptian official in the face, and shoes and a water bottle landed near the armoured cars carrying Clinton's delegation in the port city of Alexandria after she gave a speech on democratic rights. A senior US...
08:56 AM, Jul 16, 2012
Cairo: Islamist President-elect Mohamed Mursi began talks on Wednesday with groups nervous about where he will take Egypt after the generals who have ruled since Hosni Mubarak's fall make way for the republic's first civilian leader. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Mursi to bring diverse groups into his government, mentioning Egypt's Coptic Christian minority, secular-minded Egyptians and young people. The US State Department played down reports that Clinton...
08:49 AM, Jun 28, 2012
Cairo: The United States expressed alarm that its proteges in the Egyptian Army were abusing hopes for democracy by ordering more military rule just as the Muslim Brotherhood was claiming victory in the country's first free presidential election. The Islamists' self-assurance was contested by the other candidate in the run-off race, a former general who was prime minister when Hosni Mubarak was ousted last year by an Army anxious to...
03:41 PM, Jun 19, 2012
Cairo: The trial of Hosni Mubarak will resume this week, where the ousted Egyptian president, his two sons and eight others will face a slew of charges related to corruption, ordering the killing of pro-democracy protesters during a popular uprising that toppled his regime in February. Amid tight security, Cairo Criminal Court under presiding Judge Ahmed Refaat will resume the trial on Wednesday, MENA reported on Monday. The trial will...
04:07 PM, Dec 26, 2011
Cairo: As Egypt was gripped by uncertainty after the refusal of President Hosni Mubarak to step down, the country's military Supreme Command Council on Friday told the people to standby for an "important statement" as hundreds of thousands of people started gathering on the streets for what appears to be a massive showdown. In less than 24 hours, military's Supreme Command Council met under the Defence Minister Hussein Tantawi and...
03:10 PM, Feb 11, 2011
Cairo: Egypt's Defence Minister Mohamed Hussein Tantawi and commanders of the Egyptian army on Friday inspected Cairo's Tahrir Square, a media report said. Thousands of Egyptians are congregating at the square to hold protests against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Xinhua quoted state Nile News TV reported. There has been tension since Friday morning at the square, which is the focal point of protests to oust Mubarak. The protesters are determined...
03:21 PM, Feb 04, 2011
