Sunday, May 20, 2012

Egyptian army’s pledges of retreat could be an illusion, analysts say


Al-Masry Al-Youm

".....For Hassan Nafea, a leading Egyptian political columnist, “the role of the army will depend very much on the president to be elected.”

If he comes from the old regime such as the ex-foreign minister and former Arab League chief Amr Moussa, or Ahmed Shafiq, the last prime minister to serve under Mubarak, “the army will continue to play an important role, and there will be no reform regarding its role or its place.”

If another person wins, “troops would return to their barracks, but an agreement will be needed to ensure the process goes smoothly. Many interests, including economic ones, are at stake, and it will have to be dealt with tact,” Nafea added.

One of the main Islamist candidates, Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh, has promised to confine the military to matters of defense, but without explicitly saying how this would be done.

The Muslim Brotherhood, which dominates Parliament and has fielded Mohamed Morsy, could give a harder time to the army, with which it has historic rivalries...."

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