Egypt

Morsy aide warns of army involvement on 30 June

The armed forces may interfere in case of "extreme emergency" during mass protests planned for 30 June, according to presidential adviser for expatriate Egyptian affairs, Ayman Aly.

Intervention would hinge on a request to protect national security by political leaders with agreement from the National Security Council and National Defence Council, he added.

Opposition groups, spearheaded by the Tamarod ("rebel") campaign, are using 30 June to mobilise protesters to call for early presidential elections on the first anniversary of the election of President Mohamed Morsy. Islamist powers are also planning to rally around the president on the same day.

However, Aly claimed some opposition elements are seeking to exploit the 30 June protests to frighten people, adding that Egypt's political leadership has no concerns about the peaceful demonstrations planned outside the Ettehadiya presidential palace.

In an interview with Mehwar satellite channel on Monday, Aly said that the presidency sees both the Tamarod and [Islamist] Tagarod campaigns as peaceful movements that do not violate the constitution.

However the government remains sceptical of the total number of signatures gathered for both petitions, he added.

Tamarod is gathering petitions to demand early presidential elections. It recently announced reaching its 15-million signature target.

Jama'a al-Islamiya launched its Tagarod ("impartiality") campaign in response to the opposition, rallying support around Morsy's one-year presidency.

Aly revealed that the president has given instructions to the Interior Minister to keep the protesters as well as state institutions safe during the protests.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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