CAIRO: Some of the political powers in Egypt thought the military council's speech was excellent but criticized its tardiness, which was what they thought caused a lot of negative reactions in the streets. They also criticized the speech because it did not mention the issue of having civilians trialed in military courts. The leader of the National Association for Change, George Ishac, said the military council's speech by General Al-Fangary was excellent, especially that it demanded to prepare a document that will determine the principles of drafting the new constitution, solving the debate of whether the constitution or elections should come first. He, however, criticized how the speech did not mention the main demands of the protestors. Such demands include speeding up and broadcasting trials of the figures of the former regime and not having civilians trialed in military courts. Isaac commented about the Supreme Council of the Armed Council (SCAF) saying the protests harm the national interest of the country. He said that the Suez Canal is a red line especially that Israel is right next to Egypt, and that the Mogamma building at Tahrir Square must be opened. Isaac added that he will be part of the peaceful sit-ins in Tahrir Square until all the demands are met. The representative of the founders of the socialist popular alliance party, Abdelghafar Shoukr, said the military council's speech was a bit ambiguous when it said the protests harm Egypt's national interest. According to Shoukr, Egyptians are fed up with ambiguous statements from the former regime. The SCAF should clearly state who exactly those harmful protestors are, he added. Shoukr added that the SCAF's support for Egypt's Prime Minister, Essam Sharaf, is not enough and that he must have the complete authority to carry out his duties. He also said what was mentioned in the speech about the document that will solve the dilemma of the constitution was a step to assure the different political powers in Egypt. A member of the presidential council of al-Tagammu Party said the speech raised the sense that there is a power that aims to topple the current ruling system. He also said that people should stick to the slogan of "the people and the army are one hand."
