In the course of a half-hour meeting in his office Tuesday evening, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, Egypt's de facto ruler and head of the Supreme Military Council (SCAF), convinced Minsiter of Finance Hazem El-Beblawi to withdraw his resignation from government. El-Beblawi had tendered his intention to leave the Cabinet to Prime Minsiter Essam Sharaf earlier in the day. The move came in protest at the government's response to Sunday night's bloody attack of Coptic demonstrators in Maspero, which left at least 25 dead. Tantawi told the minister that Egypt's current circumstances do not allow for his resignation to be accepted. The Field Marshal continued to say that "All of us are soldiers in one army at the service of Egypt and it is not acceptable for a soldier to desert his post and responsibilities to Egypt at this time."
