SCAF member takes swipe at Tahrir

A member in Egypt’s Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) has taken a swipe at protests in Tahrir Square, saying Tahrir does not represent the bulk of Egyptians.

Determined protesters in the epicentre of January’s revolution have demanded that SCAF immediately hands over power to a civilian government, but Egypt’s interim rulers have so far defied their calls.
SCAF also failed to appease Tahrir occupants after appointing Kamal El-Ganzouri, a premier under ousted president Hosni Mubarak from 1996 to 1999, as the new prime minister.
“I doubt that Tahrir really represents the aspirations of the Egyptian people,” SCAF member Mamdouh Abdel-Hak said in an interview with Mehwar TV channel.
“The Egyptians have succeeded in dismantling dictatorship following the departure of Hosni Mubarak, so I don’t think they will let in another dictatorship. They will not allow anyone to control their opinions.
“Egypt is not only Tahrir; we are managing a country of 88 million people. Tahrir only represents the people in the square,” he added.
Thousands of SCAF supporters have gathered in Abbasiya district in Cairo for the past two Fridays, hitting out at Tahrir and giving the military junta a vote of confidence following deadly clashes between protesters and police that left more than 40 dead last month.
The number of Tahrir protesters who have camped in the square since 18 November has notably declined lately, following the beginning of Egypt’s first post-Mubarak parliamentary elections.
But those who remain there are holding firm, saying they will not leave until SCAF appoints a new government with full authority to lead the country until presidential elections scheduled for June 2012.
“Most of our initial nominations for the government were turned down by the political forces, so we implemented a sort of dictatorship by naming El-Ganzouri as the new prime minister, because we know well who is El-Ganzouri,” Abdel-Hak added.
“The political forces accepted El-Ganzouri’s appointment but Tahrir didn’t. We are acting in the best interests of all the Egyptian people, not certain factions.
“El-Ganzouri, who has full authority, should be given the chance to achieve our aims.”

Egypt Brotherhood says won't impose Islamic values

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, emerging as the biggest winner in the first round of parliamentary elections, is seeking to reassure Egyptians that it will not sacrifice personal freedoms in promoting Islamic law.
The deputy head of the Brotherhood's new political party, Essam el-Erian, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview on Saturday that the group is not interested in imposing Islamic values on Egypt, home to a sizable Christian minority and others who object to being subject to strict Islamic codes.
"We represent a moderate and fair party," el-Erian said of his Freedom and Justice Party. "We want to apply the basics of Shariah law in a fair way that respects human rights and personal rights," he said, referring to Islamic law.
The comments were the clearest indication that the Brotherhood was distancing itself from the ultraconservative Islamist Nour Party, which appears to have won the second-largest share of votes in the election's first phase.
The Nour Party espouses a strict interpretation of Islam similar to that of Saudi Arabia, where the sexes are segregated and women must be veiled and are barred from driving.
Egypt's election commission has released few official results from the voting on Monday and Tuesday. But preliminary counts have been leaked by judges and individual political groups showing both parties could together control a majority of seats in the lower house of parliament if they did form an alliance.
The Brotherhood recently denied in a statement that it seeks to form an alliance with the Nour Party in parliament, calling it "premature and mere media speculation."
On Saturday, el-Erian made it clear that the Brotherhood does not share Nour's more hard-line aspirations to strictly enforce Islamic codes in Egyptians' daily lives.
"We respect all people in their choice of religion and life," he said.
Another major check on such an agenda is the council of generals who have run the country since President Hosni Mubarak's ouster in February. The military council, accused by Egypt's protest movement of stalling a transition to civilian and democratic rule, is seeking to limit the powers of the next parliament and maintain close oversight over the drafting of a new constitution.
Egypt already uses Shariah law as the basis for legislation, however Egyptian laws remain largely secular as Shariah does not cover all aspects of modern life.
On its English-language Twitter account, the Brotherhood said that its priorities were to fix Egypt's economy and improve the lives of ordinary Egyptians, "not to change (the) face of Egypt into (an) Islamic state."
El-Erian urged the Brotherhood's political rivals to accept the election results.
"We all believe that our success as Egyptians toward democracy is a real success and we want everyone to accept this democratic system. This is the guarantee for stability," he said.
For decades, Mubarak's regime suppressed the Brotherhood, which was politically banned but managed to establish a vast network of activists and charities offering free food and medical services throughout the country's impoverished neighborhoods and villages.
It is the best organized of Egypt's post-Mubarak political forces.
The vote for parliament's lower house is taking place over three stages, with 18 provinces in Egypt yet to vote.
Meanwhile, the swearing-in of a new temporary Cabinet was delayed on Saturday due to disagreements over key posts, including over who will lead the ministry in charge of internal security.
An official in the Interior Ministry said several high-ranking security officials have been named as possible replacements but that some have turned down the offer.
Protesters have also strongly objected to the nominations put forward by newly appointed Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri, who served in the same position under ousted President Hosni Mubarak from 1996 to 1999.
The country's ruling military general, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, appointed el-Ganzouri as a new interim prime minister last month after the previous premier's government resigned in the wake of a police crackdown on protesters that killed over 40 people.
The interim Cabinet will serve until after the parliamentary elections finish in March. A new government is to be formed after the legislature is seated.
Activist Hussein Hammouda, a retired police brigadier, is among those opposed to the names being considered for the Interior Minister post and says someone from outside the police force should be chosen instead.
Protesters in Tahrir Square, the epicenter of Egypt's protests, released a statement saying they would continue their sit-in while allowing traffic to resume normally in the area.
There were tens of thousands of protesters in the square in the days leading up to the elections, but numbers have dwindled to several hundred since then. Protesters demanding el-Ganzouri be replaced as prime minister said they will keep up another sit-in outside the Cabinet headquarters.

Israel must 'get to the damn table'

Leon Panetta, US defence secretary, has urged Israel to go back to the negotiating table with Palestinians and to address what he described as the country's growing isolation in the Middle East.
In remarks made at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Friday, Panetta said: "The problem right now is we can’t get them [Israel's leaders] to the damn table to at least sit down and begin to discuss their differences.
"We understand the concerns of Israel, we understand the concerns of the Palestinians.

"If they sit at a table and work through those concerns and the United States can be of assistance in that process, then I think you have the beginning of what could be a process that could lead to a peace agreement.
"But if they aren’t there, if they aren’t at the table, this will never happen. So first and foremost get to the damn table."
Talks broke down in September 2010 over Israel's refusal to halt construction in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Panetta urged Israel to "lean forward'' to achieve peace with the Palestinians. 
"Rather than undermining the Palestinian Authority, it is in Israel's interests to strengthen it by ... continuing to transfer Palestinian tax revenues and pursuing other avenues of co-operation,'' he said.

Arab League gives Syria deadline on observers

An Arab League ministerial committee handed down a travel ban on 19 Syrian officials to Arab states and has presented an ultimatum to Damascus to accept observers to monitor the unrest in the country.
Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani, the Qatari prime minister, announced the new deadline for Syria to avoid sanctions after a meeting in Doha to discuss the measures decided against Damascus over its crackdown on eight months of protests.
"During the meeting we contacted Damascus... and we asked them to come tomorrow (to Doha) to sign" the protocol on sending observers to Damascus, said Jassim al Thani.


"We are waiting for a reply," he said. "As Arabs we fear that if the situation continues things will get out of Arab control."
The Arab League has also approved of cutting flights to Syria by 50 per cent.
The Arab League last Sunday approved sweeping sanctions against President Bashar al-Assad's government over the crackdown, the first time that the bloc has enforced such measures against one of its own members.
The vote on sanctions came after Damascus defied an earlier ultimatum to accept observers under an Arab League peace plan and put an end to the eight-month crackdown.
Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said last month that the wording of the text to send observers undermined the country's sovereignty because it "totally ignores the Syrian state, even coordination with the Syrian state."
Ongoing violence
Syrian state agency on Sunday reported that a funeral procession was held for 13 soldiers who were killed by "terrorists".

"The martyrs were targaeted by the armed terrorist groups while they were in the line of duty in Damascus countryside," SANA news agency said.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Revolution General Commission, an activist group, reported that 39 people had been killed over the past two days. It added that November was the bloodiest month since the uprising started in March, with at least 734 civilians killed.
Al Jazeera's Nisreen El-Shamayleh, reporting from neighbouring Jordan, said activists told her that troops raided the town of Tal Shihab in the southern province of Daraa on Sunday morning. They said heavy gunfire was heard and that mass and random arrests had taken place.
In Homs' Al Wa'ar neighbourhood, El-Shamayleh said activists had reported that "two cars carrying troops and Assad loyalists opened fire indiscriminately [on Sunday after midnight] and killed four members of the Teebeh family. They were in the street when they came under fire."

The fate of ِEgypt's Tahrir sit-in still unclear

As numbers are on the decrease in Tahrir Square, the fate of the sit-in staged in the iconic square remains unclear. Although its demands remain unaltered, emphasised by the thousands who marched on Friday to join those already there in Tahrir for over a week, some tents are being moved.

On Tuesday, several Salafists took the decision to withdraw after Salafist presidential Hopeful Hazem Abu Ismail urged them to go vote and return later. Others in the square boycotted the elections, deeming it null and void, while others voted whilst maintaining their place in the square.

Apart from elections, which clearly had an impact, this is not the first time a Tahrir sit-in starts to weaken without achieving its full demands. The 8 July sit-in, which lasted for over three weeks, had already reached its weakest point before it was forcefully dispersed by military police on 1 August. The current sit-in triggered by clashes on 18 November is similarly experiencing a low point, although not all protesters accept it is over yet.

Maher Ibrahim Mohamed, one of the demonstrators participating in Tahrir, explained as he was dismantling a tent originally used as a field hospital that he together with many others do not intend to leave. He says: “We are just dismantling this tent because those who brought it earlier want it back, but we intend to stay. If we had not left Tahrir Square before, our demands would have been met by now.”

“We are demanding a civil government agreed upon by the true revolutionaries, and we want the military council to give up its authorities. The elections will not change anything because there is a deal between the Muslim Brotherhood and the military council,” added Mohamed.

The Muslim Brotherhood declared earlier that the majority of the newly elected parliament will be forming the new government. However, its statements seem to have left those in the square unsatisfied.

Activist Doaa Basiouny also holds a similar stance, adding: “I wished that the military council would give up its authorities through elections, but that is not going to happen because they are protecting their interests and they will not give it up unless there is enough pressure to force them.”

Nonetheless, on Friday several participating groups released a statement declaring that they decided to move their tents from Tahrir and join others in front of Cabinet building. Demonstrators there continue to chant against the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and the newly appointed government.

Others not in Tahrir all the time nonetheless express their solidairty. Ashraf Zeitoun is one of the thousands who marched Friday to commemorate the revolution’s martyrs. He said: “I come every Friday and every couple of days to show my support for the sit-in’s demands." Zeitoun adds that he is not the only one outside of the sit-in who supports Tahrir, expressing disappointment that more do not participate.

While some may be sympathetic with Tahrir but are not participating, some are completely against the sit-in. Some political movements, including the Muslim Brotherhood and the main liberal parties, such as the Free Egyptians, have been absent from Tahrir, arguing that the focus should be on elections instead. Several of their figures have also made statements against sit-ins and strikes, arguing that the country is now hungry for stability.

Similarly, a statement recently released by several artists and intellectuals demanded that all sit-ins, demonstrations and strikes are halted for three months, arguing that the country needs calm and stability. In response, another statement was released by artists and intellectuals condemning this view, arguing that on the contrary demonstrations and strikes should escalate to reach complete civil disobedience so that the revolution is fulfilled.

In support of the sit-in and its demands, some have on the other hand argued that tactically demonstrators should collectively halt a sit-in when its numbers decrease and it ceases to exert the necessary pressure. Socialist activist Haitham Gabr argued in an article released on 29 November that the 19 November demonstrations are but one of many battles needed to be fought against military rule, instead of treating it as the final fight, which only weakens the cause.

Gabr adds that a collective decision to halt the sit-in before it completely dies out will strengthen the movement as it will not be leaving the square defeated. Views similar to Gabr's may have influenced some to leave Tahrir and move in front of the Cabinet building. Gabr explains in his article: "Tahrir has become increasingly more difficult to secure as numbers of protesters are decreasing and demonstrators are being inflitrated by secret service agents dressed in civilian clothes pretending to be securing Tahrir's entrances." 

While some have withdrawn and others moved in front of the Cabinet, others remain occupying the square despite it all. The fate of the sit-in remains unclear, though many currently occupying the square are attempting to open the square for traffic. 

Preliminary election results favor Brotherhood

Preliminary results of the first phase of parliamentary elections came in favor of its Freedom and Justice Party, followed by the Salafi Nour Party and the liberal Egyptian Bloc Coalition, the Muslim Brotherhood has announced.
The Brotherhood said that voters did not vote for the remnants of the disbanded National Democratic Party who formed new parties after the revolution, which means that the people have “isolated them politically,” as the Brotherhood put it.
In its seventh statement on Wednesday, the party said it received the most votes in the Fayoum governorate, followed by the Red Sea, Cairo and Assiut governorates, while competition against the Nour Party was fierce in the governorates of Alexandria and Kafr al-Sheikh.
The statement also said party candidates running individually in the elections have swept votes in several constituencies.

Brotherhood demands first dibs at forming new government

The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party demanded the right to form the new national salvation government following early indicators that the party won the most seats in parliament.
“It is the majority in parliament that has the right to form the government,” said the party’s legal adviser Ahmed Abu Baraka.
He also said that Major General Mamdouh Shahin, member of the military council, was wrong when he said the parliamentary majority does not have the right to form the government. “Shahin probably meant to calm the public by saying that,” he said.
As to whether this would lead to a clash between the Brotherhood and the ruling military council, Abu Baraka dismissed the possibility as inconsequential.
“We have always had clashes with the military,” he said.
Meanwhile, Salafi parties criticized the Muslim Brotherhood, saying the new government should comprise all trends, be they Islamist, liberal, left-wing or Christian.
”It’s premature for the Brotherhood to claim that right,” said Yousry Hammad, spokesman for the Salafi Nour Party.
Refaat al-Sayed, former president of the Assiut Judges Club, explained that the constitutional declaration granted the president the right to form a new government.
Wafd Party spokesman Mohamed Shordy said his party would not enter into a coalition with the Brotherhood. “We are keen on national unity, and we denounce the Church and the Islamists for urging the electorate to vote based on religion,” he said