Top general to be next president?
CAIRO: The fate of Egypt's pro-democracy movement may rest on the shoulders of the country's top soldier, who has so far refused to use force against protesters demanding the removal of President Hosni Mubarak.
In a rare balancing act, Lieutenant General Sami Enan, the armed forces chiefof-staff, has won praise from both the US and a leading member of the banned Muslim Brotherhood, who said he could be an acceptable successor to Mubarak.
Enan was in Washington when anti-Mubarak demonstrations erupted last week in the wake of Tunisia's " Jasmine Revolution" that overthrew President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.
The former air defence officer cut short his visit and rushed home before the military issued a crucial statement on Monday calling the protesters' demands legitimate and saying troops would not open fire on the people.
Now that Mubarak has announced he will not seek re-election in September, the army is telling demonstrators their message has been heard and they must leave the streets. But it is unclear if soldiers will confront them if protests continue.
Enan, who trained in the former Soviet Union and studied at France's elite inter-service war college as well as Egypt's Nasser High Military Academy, will face crucial decisions. All four Egyptian presidents since 1952, when officers staged a coup to topple the Britishbacked monarchy, have come from the armed forces. Mubarak was the air force chief in 1975 when Anwar Sadat made him vice-president. President Sadat's assassination in 1981 thrust him unexpectedly into power.
The top US military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, said Enan had given him assurances in a private conversation about the Egyptian military's commitment to promoting stability. "So far the Egyptian military has handled themselves exceptionally well," he said.
At the same time, prominent Islamist cleric Kamel el-Helbawy, an exiled member of the conservative Muslim Brotherhood, said Enan could be an acceptable! success or to Mubarak because he is perceived as incorruptible. "He can be the future man of Egypt," Helbawy said on Tuesday.
In a rare balancing act, Lieutenant General Sami Enan, the armed forces chiefof-staff, has won praise from both the US and a leading member of the banned Muslim Brotherhood, who said he could be an acceptable successor to Mubarak.
Enan was in Washington when anti-Mubarak demonstrations erupted last week in the wake of Tunisia's " Jasmine Revolution" that overthrew President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.
The former air defence officer cut short his visit and rushed home before the military issued a crucial statement on Monday calling the protesters' demands legitimate and saying troops would not open fire on the people.
Now that Mubarak has announced he will not seek re-election in September, the army is telling demonstrators their message has been heard and they must leave the streets. But it is unclear if soldiers will confront them if protests continue.
Enan, who trained in the former Soviet Union and studied at France's elite inter-service war college as well as Egypt's Nasser High Military Academy, will face crucial decisions. All four Egyptian presidents since 1952, when officers staged a coup to topple the Britishbacked monarchy, have come from the armed forces. Mubarak was the air force chief in 1975 when Anwar Sadat made him vice-president. President Sadat's assassination in 1981 thrust him unexpectedly into power.
The top US military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, said Enan had given him assurances in a private conversation about the Egyptian military's commitment to promoting stability. "So far the Egyptian military has handled themselves exceptionally well," he said.
At the same time, prominent Islamist cleric Kamel el-Helbawy, an exiled member of the conservative Muslim Brotherhood, said Enan could be an acceptable! success or to Mubarak because he is perceived as incorruptible. "He can be the future man of Egypt," Helbawy said on Tuesday.
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