Egypt
changing
 |
| Relations between President Mursi (centre) and Egypt's two top generals have been tense |
Egyptian
President Mohammed Mursi has said his move to order the retirement of two of
the country's top generals was for "the benefit of this nation".
He was
speaking after replacing the powerful head of the armed forces, Field Marshal
Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, and the chief-of-staff, Gen Sami Annan.
Mr Mursi
also said a constitutional declaration by the military aimed at curbing his
powers had been cancelled.
The
generals assumed presidential powers after the fall of Hosni Mubarak.
'Holy
mission'
"The
decisions I took today were not meant ever to target certain persons, nor did I
intend to embarrass institutions, nor was my aim to narrow freedoms," Mr
Mursi said during a speech to mark the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
"I did
not mean to send a negative message about anyone, but my aim was the benefit of
this nation and its people," he said.
The
president also praised the armed forces, saying they would now focus "on
the holy mission of protecting the nation".
It was
announced earlier that a career army officer, Gen Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, would
replace Field Marshal Tantawi as both armed forces chief and defence minister.
Field
Marshal Tantawi, 76, has not yet indicated whether he accepts the moves.
However Gen
Mohammed al-Assar, a member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf),
told the Reuters news agency the decision had been "based on consultation
with the field marshal, and the rest of the military council".
A
presidential spokesman said Gen Annan and Field Marshal Tantawi had been
appointed as presidential advisers and were given Egypt's highest state honour,
the Grand Collar of the Nile.
Islamist
raid
BBC Middle
East correspondent Kevin Connolly says the dismissal of senior military
officers will be seen by Egyptians as a decisive move in a struggle for real
power between the country's newly elected politicians and the generals who have
exercised power for many years.
As head of
Scaf, Field Marshal Tantawi became Egypt's interim ruler after President
Mubarak was ousted following last year's mass protests.
Under the
interim constitutional declaration issued by Scaf before Mr Mursi was sworn in,
the president could not rule on matters related to the military - including
appointing its leaders.
The council
also dissolved parliament, which is dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood's
Freedom and Justice Party (FJP).
Tensions
between the presidency and Scaf were further exacerbated after Islamist
militants in the Sinai peninsula killed 16 border guards last week, in a raid
that embarrassed the military.
The
president sacked Egypt's intelligence chief and two senior generals following
the attack.
Mr Mursi
resigned from his leadership positions within the Brotherhood, including his
role as chairman of the FJP, when he won the presidential election in June.
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"Healing the Military Energies in our family Tree" – Jun 13, 2011 (Kryon channelled by David Brown)
“ … There’s much violence and anger throughout the world; when we look at the Middle East, we can see that changes are coming there. The West has a lot of power over the Middle East, but that power will begin to dissolve. The Muslim people of this world will begin to have their own power, and their own prosperity, and they will begin to disconnect from the Western World. This disconnection doesn’t have to be violent as violence only happens when somebody hangs onto what doesn’t belong to them....
“ … There’s much violence and anger throughout the world; when we look at the Middle East, we can see that changes are coming there. The West has a lot of power over the Middle East, but that power will begin to dissolve. The Muslim people of this world will begin to have their own power, and their own prosperity, and they will begin to disconnect from the Western World. This disconnection doesn’t have to be violent as violence only happens when somebody hangs onto what doesn’t belong to them....
... What Military Energy means if we use an analogy: it would be like putting grinding paste into the oil of your motor car. Once you release these energies you will begin to feel lighter as you disconnect from this reality, and, you will find it easier and easier to release any other negative emotions. Military Energies are the core of all your problems...."
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