Egypt army chief warns unrest could lead to collapse of state
By Nehal El-Sherif and Pol O Gradaigh, dpa
Cairo (dpa) – The current unrest in Egypt could lead to "the collapse of the state," Defence Minister and army chief Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi said Tuesday, in what some analysts see as a warning that the country's traditionally powerful military may decide to play a bigger role in resolving the political crisis.
"The continuation of conflict between the various political forces and their differences over how the country should be run could lead to the collapse of the state and threatens future generations," he said.
There have been riots across the country for the past five days, with protesters blaming Islamist President Mohammed Morsi for not achieving the goals of the revolution. More than 50 people have been killed so far in the violence.
"The continuation of this situation, without a solution from all parties, leads to serious consequences affecting the stability of the country," al-Sissi said, adding that "the Egyptian army will remain the consistent and solid pillar of the state."
Analyst Omar Ashour has played down speculation that the armed forces council, which led the country for a transitional period of 16 months, may take over power again.
"If they take over power, they lose the legitimacy they have to use their power to end the chaos, which they enjoy now under a military-friendly constitution," said Ashour, head of Middle East Studies at the University of Exeter.
"Some people are betting on a rift between the president and the armed forces, but I do not see this happening now," he added.
Fresh clashes have erupted in central Cairo, with police forces firing tear gas at rock-throwing protesters.
The unrest, seen as the worst crisis facing Morsi since he took office, began on the eve of the second anniversary of the revolt that toppled president Hosny Mubarak.
Morsi has responded by imposing a state of emergency and a night-time curfew in the three restive cities of Port Said, Ismailia and Suez.
Protesters have defied the measures by holding mass rallies and organizing late-night football matches.
There have been no reports of arrests by troops deployed in those cities, although the legislature has approved a government proposal to give the army the power to arrest civilians.
According to the Health Ministry, clashes that took place on Monday resulted in two deaths in Port Said.
The ministry also reported 240 injuries, about half of them in the northern Nile Delta city of Kafr al-Sheikh, where demonstrators had attempted to storm the governorate building.
Cairo's director of security announced that 178 suspected rioters have been arrested in the capital since the current outbreak of unrest began on Thursday.
The Prosecutor General has ordered the arrest of all members of the so-called Black Bloc group of protesters for questioning on suspicion of forming a terrorist group.
The Black Bloc is a group of men, masked and clad in black, that has emerged in recent days in different cities. It claims to be protecting demonstrators against the Muslim Brotherhood and attacks by security forces. They have been blamed for recent rioting in different cities.
Prosecution spokesman Hassan Yassin said that investigations had established that it was “an organized group that practices terrorist violence.”
He called on citizens to apprehend anyone suspected of belonging to the group and hand them over to the authorities.
United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay, meanwhile, expressed her concern at the situation.
"As the tragic events over the past few days have shown, Egypt remains extremely fragile and unstable, and I urge the government to make a much stronger effort to accommodate opposing points of view, and take concrete actions to address public concerns," Pillay said.
"I call for immediate investigations into the latest incidents as well as a thorough review of police tactics during the management of demonstrations," the High Commissioner added.
Pillay also "urged all parties to conduct a serious dialogue in order to halt the exasperation and dangerous polarization underlying the current protests."
Egypt's largest opposition coalition, the National Salvation Front, has rejected an invitation for a dialogue with Morsi and has threatened to demand early presidential elections if its conditions - which include a new government, amending the constitution and disbanding the Islamist-dominated parliament - are not met.
Morsi is to go ahead with his planned visit to Germany on Wednesday despite the unrest, presidential spokesman Yasser Ali said.
