CAIRO - Less than a week ahead of massive rallies planned by various political powers, Defence Minister General Abdul-Fattah al-Sissi has emphasised that the army would not stay silent while the country slips into domestic strife. The Defence Chief coupled this position with a call for all political powers to map out a national reconciliation formula within a week. "We have a week during which a great deal can be accomplished. This is a call that is only motivated by love of the nation, its presence and future," the Defence Minister said. He urged all parties to use the week left before the June 30 protests to reach such "understanding, consensus and genuine reconciliation" as would save the nation the eventuality of an uncontrollable strife. General Sissi's statements came as he was addressing a forum of army commanders and officers on Sunday. The statements were then posted on the Facebook page of the Armed Forces Spokesman. "Those who think that we (the military) are oblivious to the dangers that threaten the Egyptian state are mistaken. We will not remain silent while the country slips into a conflict that will be hard to control," he said. "It is not honourable that we remain silent in the face of the terrorising and scaring of our Egyptian compatriots. There is more honour in death than watching a single Egyptian harmed while his army is standing idly by," the Defence Minister said, as reported by AP. Army spokesman Colonel Ahmed Ali told Reuters: "This was a supportive message that the army is sending to its people ... The statement was meant to set out the army position ... It cannot ignore anything that might threaten national security." The Defence Chief explained that while the military has recently stayed out of the political fray and focused instead on its combat capabilities, its patriotic and moral responsibility towards Egyptians obliges it to intervene and stop Egypt from "slipping into a dark tunnel of conflict, internal fighting." He said sectarian violence and the collapse of state institutions would also justify intervention. General Sissi also warned that the military will no longer tolerate any "insults" to the Armed Forces and its commanders, a reference to a series of comments by leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, of which President Morsi hails, that were perceived by the military as insults. "There is a state of division in society," General Sissi said on Facebook. "Prolonging it poses a danger to the Egyptian state. There must be consensus among all," he said. "We will not remain silent as the country slips into a conflict that is hard to control," the Defence Minister, who is also the Commander-General of the Armed Forces, said. "The will of the Egyptian nation is what governs us and we protect it with honour," General Sissi said. "We cannot permit a violation of the will of the people," he added. In an initial reaction, the National Salvation Front (NSF) described the Defence Minister's statements as "very reasonable". "We are facing direct threats from supporters of President Morsi to spill blood if we exercise ... our democratic right to demand peacefully early presidential elections," said Khaled Dawoud, a spokesman for the NSF, as reported by Reuters. In a later statement carried by ONA news agency, the NSF said it viewed as valuable the Armed Forces keenness on siding with the will of the people and reasserting their allegiance to the great people of Egypt. Some other opposition figures were however less enthusiastic about the prospects of national reconciliation. For Alaa al-Aswani, a famous novelist and intellectual: "The time for reconciliation is already over". ONA quoted him as writing on his Twitter account that 16 million citizens have already signed a petition to withdraw confidence from President Morsi; hence the inevitability of early presidential elections. "Compromises could abort the revolution on June 30," he said. A group of opposition activists have, meanwhile, declared a 7-point blueprint for action, according to ONA. Winding up a conference on "After (Morsi's) Departure", the activists said their blueprint includes the rescinding of the 2012 constitution, appointing a new assembly to write a new constitution, declaring the High Court Chief Judge as honorary president, the appointment of a new prime minister, the replacement of the current Prosecutor-General, the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections and the activation of the National Defence Council. One of the conference speakers, law professor Hossam Eissa, told the closing session that June 30 should be the day of departure of the regime. A spokesman for the Brotherhood's political party said it was studying the statement before making public comment.
