Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the Head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, said martyrs' blood and injured protesters would never go in vain, and the council would undertake legal procedures during a meeting with officers and leaders of the Central Military Region. "Defending the country and supporting its internal and external national security is a sacred mission," said Tantawi. Tantawi praised the role of military forces in protecting vital facilities in the country. He said the council was taking care to establish a democratic era, running parliamentary elections, amending the constitution, and running presidential elections. Tantawi added that SCAF did not slowdown the transfer of authority in order to build a new democratic and free country. The Field Marshal said current political and economic events obligate Egyptians to defend the country's stability.