EGYPT: A spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood says there are signs a military coup is underway in Egypt and that the group is ready to act as human shields to defend embattled president Mursi

Record ID: 837899

  • Title: EGYPT: A spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood says there are signs a military coup is underway in Egypt and that the group is ready to act as human shields to defend embattled president Mursi
  • Date: 3rd July 2013
  • Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (JULY 3, 2013) (REUTERS) PROTEST CAMP IN SUPPORT OF EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT MOHAMED MURSI IN RABA'A AL ADAWIYA MOSQUE MURSI SUPPORTERS LYING ON GROUND VARIOUS OF MURSI SUPPORTERS GUARDING ENTRANCE TO PROTEST AREA (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPOKESMAN FOR THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD, GEHAD EL-HADDAD, SAYING: "I think the military coup is indeed underway. I think that we are seeing many signs of that at the moment and I don't think that the Egyptian people will tolerate another resurface of the old regime under any banner, and not by bullying of the military machine." PEOPLE AT PRO-MURSI PROTEST CAMP (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPOKESMAN FOR THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD, GEHAD EL-HADDAD, SAYING: "We don't think the military has any right to offer a roadmap. A roadmap is something that the constitution outlines and the president directs. It's not the role of the military. From the Brotherhood's perspective, we are open to any type of solution but it has to be through representatives of the people." VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS IN TENT HOLDING PICTURE OF MURSI (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPOKESMAN FOR THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD, GEHAD EL-HADDAD, SAYING: "When we say that we will stand between the tanks and the president that means that we will sacrifice ourselves as a human shield to protect the legitimacy of the will of the Egyptian people. I will not, personally, tolerate a new dictatorship that would rob my daughter and my son from the life that they was promised under a democracy." PRO-MURSI PROTEST CAMP WITH MOSQUE IN BACKGROUND (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPOKESMAN FOR THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD, GEHAD EL-HADDAD, SAYING: "I don't believe in the sincerity of the military or its statements, and I don't believe that any type of concession can be made from a single side only. It needs to be a negotiation between two sides. The other side on that table needs to be representative of the masses of the people on the street. At the moment there is no such person. Even the opposition members themselves declare that they are not representative any more of the streets. And thus our suggestion, our idea, is to speed through a parliamentary election that elects members of parliament representative of the people. If the protests on the street prove anything they prove the people of Egypt are ready to have their say. They can sweep the parliamentary election, impeach the president, change the constitution and set the roadmap that they want, but it has to be the right of the people." PROTESTERS GUARDING ENTRANCE TO PRO-MURSI PROTEST CAMP (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPOKESMAN FOR THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD, GEHAD EL-HADDAD, SAYING: "The act of twisting the arm of the presidency, or twisting the will of the people for the sake of a few that have never gone through any election and have no legitimacy to speak on behalf of the people, is not something that can be tolerated to the democracy and no concessions should be given to any of them. I don't think the president acted out of his power. I think that this is the role of the president to guide the country through transition. The military has no say in this equation. The military is an arm of the state, it has to be under the rule of the commander in chief." MEN WALKING PAST PROTEST CAMP MURSI SUPPORTERS CHANTING SLOGANS
  • Embargoed: 18th July 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Egypt
  • City:
  • Country: Egypt
  • Topics: Conflict,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAC3YN8A5JH2P511ELY6U7PRA1H
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: A spokesman for Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood said its members were willing to act as human shields to protect President Mohamed Mursi from a "military coup", as an army imposed deadline approaches for Mursi to reach a power sharing deal with the opposition.
    Mursi made a defiant speech on Tuesday (July 2) in which he offered concessions but said he would sacrifice his life to protect the legitimacy of his office. The military, meanwhile, issued a statement saying it was willing to protect the country from "terrorists and fools."
    A spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group that are Mursi's main backers, said it appeared a military coup was underway.

    "I think that we are seeing many signs of that at the moment and I don't think that the Egyptian people will tolerate another resurface of the old regime under any banner, and not by bullying of the military machine," said Gehad El-Haddad.
    Military sources have told Reuters the army had drafted a plan to sideline Mursi and suspend the constitution after a 5 p.m. (1500 GMT) deadline passes on Wednesday (July 3). But a military source has since denied several local press reports on the details of the army's "political roadmap" to resolve the standoff and said he expected the army to first call political, social and economic figures for talks to decide what to do next.
    El-Haddad said the military had no right to impose political solutions.

    "We don't think the military has any right to offer a roadmap. A roadmap is something that the constitution outlines and the president directs. It's not the role of the military. From the Brotherhood's perspective, we are open to any type of solution but it has to be through representatives of the people," he said.
    El-Haddad said Mursi's supporters were willing to put themselves in harm's way to protect Egypt's fledgling democracy.

    "When we say that we will stand between the tanks and the president that means that we will sacrifice ourselves as a human shield to protect the legitimacy of the will of the Egyptian people. I will not, personally, tolerate a new dictatorship that would rob my daughter and my son from the life that they was promised under a democracy," he said.
    Mursi's opponents accuse him and the Muslim Brotherhood of seeking to dominate the transition to democracy at the expense of the national interest. But El-Haddad said only elected institutions could find a solution to the political impasse, and that the public will should be expressed through negotiation and parliamentary elections.

    "I don't believe in the sincerity of the military or its statements, and I don't believe that any type of concession can be made from a single side only. It needs to be a negotiation between two sides. The other side on that table needs to be representative of the masses of the people on the street. At the moment there is no such person. Even the opposition members themselves declare that they are not representative any more of the streets. And thus our suggestion, our idea, is to speed through a parliamentary election that elects members of parliament representative of the people. If the protests on the street prove anything they prove the people of Egypt are ready to have their say. They can sweep the parliamentary election, impeach the president, change the constitution and set the roadmap that they want, but it has to be the right of the people," he said.
    El-Haddad said that Mursi had acted within his authority to lead the transition process and that the military was overstepping its authority.

    "The act of twisting the arm of the presidency, or twisting the will of the people for the sake of a few that have never gone through any election and have no legitimacy to speak on behalf of the people, is not something that can be tolerated to the democracy and no concessions should be given to any of them. I don't think the president acted out of his power. I think that this is the role of the president to guide the country through transition. The military has no say in this equation. The military is an arm of the state, it has to be under the rule of the commander in chief," he said.
    Liberal opposition leaders, who have vowed not to negotiate with Mursi since the ultimatum was issued, immediately denounced his refusal to go as a "declaration of civil war."
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