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Spokesperson for the Armed Forces Ahmed Ali responded to remarks made by the vice-chairman of the Al-Wasat Party to a newspaper regarding a private meeting between the party leader and representatives of the Armed Forces.
In a statement published on Monday, Ali emphasised that the meeting is part “of a series of meetings and communications held by the Armed Forces with all political forces in Egypt”. The military spokesperson referred to an Armed Forces statement in December 2012, which stressed the importance of national dialogue and that Egypt’s military would not let the country “fall into a [dark abyss]”.
Ali said that these meetings come as a result of the Armed Forces’ “national responsibility in maintaining Egyptian national security without interfering in political affairs”. He added that there is a “political responsibility” to keep these meetings confidential.
The spokesperson also criticised people who took comments made by Minister of Defence Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi out of context. He said that these people attempted to “achieve gains that are not consistent with the doctrine and methodology of the Armed Forces, which always chooses to side with the great people of Egypt”.
On Saturday Al-Sisi said that the military would not take to the streets or stage a military coup to oust President Mohamed Morsi.
