The main circle in Tahrir Square has been declared "off limits" by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces after hundreds of protesters were forcibly removed on 1 August following a three-week sit-in. Anti-riot police and army vehicles have replaced protesters in the square, and the two sides clashed briefly on Friday after thousands of supporters of a "civil state" in Egypt staged a demonstration. However, political Islamic groups, led by the Muslim Brotherhood, have warned they might take the streets again if the country's military rulers approved a draft document proposed by Deputy Prime Minister Ali El-Silmi, that includes guiding principles for the country's new constitution, expected to be drafted after the upcoming parliament elections in November. Islamists insist that the next parliament alone should draft the constitution without any preconditions, claiming that was the result of the popular referendum held on 19 March. But liberal and leftist parties, who fear that Islamists will make big gains in the next elections, argue that the constitution should be reached by consensus among all political groups, and that it must assure universal and basic rights regardless who wins the elections. photo: Sherif Sonbol
