CAIRO: Head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, witnessed on Monday the main stage of maneuvers, carried out by one of the formations of the Second Field Army. Tantawi said, “defending homeland and protecting its security is a national duty.” “The Armed Forces will always remain the protective shield of the nation and the invincible bastion of the people,” added Tantawi. “The Army and the nation who achieved victory in October, 1973, are capable of overcoming this critical stage in Egyptian history,” Tantawi said, in reference to the Six October War with Israel. “The Armed Forces stand at an equal distance from all presidential candidates and have no specific favored candidate in the upcoming presidential elections,” Tantawi affirmed. Tantawi said, “the Armed Forces and the great Egyptian nation are one entity, adding that the upcoming president will be chosen by the nation without any guardianship.” “The Egyptian nation, which revolted on the January 25 Revolution, is capable of choosing the upcoming president,” he added. “The dignity of the Egyptian citizen is above any consideration, regardless of any kind of orientations or affiliations,” affirmed Tantawi. These statements were provided to Bikyamasr.com by Egypt's State Information Service.
