Egyptians form council to defend revolution

Egypt’s new military rulers tell the nation they are committed to civilian rule and democracy.

CAIRO: Egypt’s new military rulers told the nation on Saturday they were committed to civilian rule and democracy after Hosni Mubarak’s overthrow and said they would respect all treaties, a move that was welcomed by Israel and the United States.

Despite the assurances, the organisers of the protests said they were forming a 20-member council to defend the revolution and negotiate with the military council that is now running the country. They also threatened to call for more demonstrations if the military failed to meet the “people’s demands”.

“The purpose of the Council of Trustees is to hold dialogue with the Higher Military Council and to carry the revolution forward through the transitional phase,” said Khaled Abdel Qader Ouda, an academic.

Contacts were still under way to check whether some prospective members were ready to join.

Safwat Hegazi, an active leader of the protests, said the revolution would go on until its goals had been met. He listed the most urgent demands as the immediate release of political prisoners, abolishing emergency law and scrapping the state security apparatus run by the interior ministry.

“The military council must present a reasonable time-frame to fulfill the demands,” Hegazi said.

“The Arab Republic of Egypt is committed to all regional and international obligations and treaties,” a senior army officer said in a statement on state television, outlining the armed forces’ broad strategies at home and abroad.

In another move to restore order, the army said it would “guarantee the peaceful transition of power in the framework of a free, democratic system which allows an elected, civilian power to govern the country to build a democratic, free state”.

Commenting after the army statement, Egypt’s Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, viewed with suspicion by the United States, said that it was not seeking power and praised the efforts of the new army rulers to transfer power to civilians.

The government will remain in place temporarily, the army said in a statement. “The current government and governors will continue to work until a new government is formed,” the Supreme Council for the Armed Forces said in a televised address.

Local authorities, meanwhile, said they were investigating accusations against the former prime minister, interior minister and information minister, state television reported. It said travel bans were imposed on ex-premier Ahmed Nazif and former Interior Minister Habib al-Adli, who were both sacked by Hosni Mubarak before he stepped down from the presidency on Friday.

A travel ban was also imposed on Information Minister Anas el-Fekky, who had been re-appointed in a cabinet that was hastily sworn in as a sop to protesters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed on Saturday a declaration by Egypt’s new military rulers that they would honour treaties. Israel’s 1979 peace treaty with Egypt has been the cornerstone of its security,

The tumultuous events in Egypt sent shock waves throughout the Middle East, where autocratic rulers were calculating their chances of survival.

In Sanaa, a demonstration by some 2,000 people inspired by the Egyptian revolt broke up after clashes with pro-government demonstrators armed with knives and batons. In Algiers, thousands of police stopped government opponents from staging a march.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13^th, 2011.