Adly Mansour, interim Egyptian president, makes first TV address, while Cairo braces for more protests

Adly Mansour, interim Egyptian president, makes first TV address, while Cairo braces for more protests

Ruth Pollard
Middle East Correspondent




Egypt's interim president Adly Mansour delivering his first televised address to the nation since his inauguration. Photo: AFP


Cairo: As Egyptians steeled themselves for more mass protests, with tens of thousands expected to take to the streets after Friday prayers, the country's interim president declared there was no turning back from the June 30 revolution and accused some of trying to push Egypt into chaos.


“We wish to take a step into a bright future,” Egypt's military-appointed interim president Adly Mansour said in his first address to the nation overnight in which he commemorated the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, also known as the Ramadan War or Yom Kippur War.


“I assure you that I am committed totally, together with the government, to achieving security and stability in our homeland,” Mr Mansour said.


Without mentioning Dr Mursi or the Muslim Brotherhood, Mr Mansour said: “Many wish to see us step into mayhem and we wish to step into stability. Some wish to see Egypt plunge into a circle of violence and bloodshed … we want … human rights and social justice.”





Supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Mursi shout slogans in front of his poster at a park in front of Cairo University. Photo: AP


Insisting that his army-backed interim government has the “legitimacy of the people” Mr Mansour said the process of justice and reconciliation was “directed to one and all and without exceptions”.

Yet despite this olive branch, there was no acknowledgement that the former president has been held incommunicado with several of his senior advisors since the military forced him from office on July 3, in a move they say was in response to a millions-strong protest calling for Dr Mursi's removal.


The Muslim Brotherhood and its political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, say the president's removal was a military coup and their supporters have maintained a vigil at Rabaa Al-Adawiya Mosque in Nasr City for nearly three weeks calling for his reinstatement.


Many Egyptians took to Twitter after the speech to express surprise at its brevity – 10 minutes – in stark contrast to one of Dr Mursi's final addresses to the nation which lasted more than two-and-a-half hours and in which he failed to offer any meaningful concessions to the Opposition movement in the days before the protests and the army forced him from office.


“I assure you that I am committed totally, together with the government, to achieving security and stability in our homeland,” Mr Mansour said.


He said Egyptians had learned from the Ramadan War that they “were able to overcome the worst of times”.


Meanwhile the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood called for mass protests on Friday, saying they would not back down from their demands.


However an official from the movement told the Reuters news agency that the Brotherhood had proposed a framework for talks mediated by the European Union. This followed a meeting between the Brotherhood and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in Cairo on Wednesday.


The developments come as Amnesty International released a report condemning Egypt's security forces for their treatment of hundreds of pro-Mursi supporters who have been arrested since the president was deposed.


Lawyers told Amnesty more than 660 men have been arrested in Cairo alone, including prominent leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Freedom and Justice Party.


Many were arrested on July 8 during the violence around the Republican Guard Club, which left at least 51 Morsi supporters dead. Detainees who spoke to Amnesty say they were beaten, subjected to electric shocks or hit with rifle butts.

“Establishing trust in the justice system will be impossible if only supporters of Mursi and the Muslim Brotherhood are targeted while security forces are absolved of responsibility for unlawful killings and their failure to protect protesters from violence,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Middle East and North Africa Program Director at Amnesty International.

The Muslim Brotherhood is expected to issue a statement later on Thursday night in response to Mr Mansour's speech.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/adly-mansour-interim-egyptian-president-makes-first-tv-address-while-cairo-braces-for-more-protests-20130719-2q7xl.html#ixzz2ZRKb53ut

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