|
Mubarak conducts purge of military, security brass
|
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Friday, July 20, 2001
CAIRO Ñ Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has ordered a reshuffle of
leading military and security commanders amid rising unrest in the country.
Egyptian sources said the reshuffle came as a surprise and appears to
mark a purge of the army and security forces.
The dismissals included the commander of Egypt's air defense forces and
the head of Egypt's northern military command. A general and
senior member of Egypt's military intelligence was also sacked.
Western diplomatic sources in Cairo said the failure to announce those
replacing the departing officers appears to point to the president's urgency
in shaking up both the military and political leadership.
The following officers were ordered to resign: Gen. Mohammed Shahat,
commander of air defense; Gen. Desouki Banna, head of northern command;
Gen., Samir Yusef, a senior officer in military intelligence; Deputy
Interior Minister Gen. Ahmed Said Sawan and Deputy Defense Minister Ahmed
Abdul Rahman.
Several governates in Egypt have been rocked by unrest over the last
week amid government plans to cut civil service jobs and limit university
graduates from applying for new posts. The worst of the rioting was reported
in the Sharqiya governate north of Cairo.
Mubarak has blamed Israel for the current escalation in the war with the
Palestinians. The president said the Arabs cannot deal with the Israeli
government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Mubarak said Sharon knows only the language of killing. He said one
member of Israel's Cabinet threatened to attack Egypt.
"One of them threatened to reoccupy Sinai and strike the High Dam," the
president said.
The reference was to Israeli National Infrastructure Minister Avigdor
Lieberman, who said Israel was prepared to respond to an Egyptian attack by
destroying the Aswan Dam.
State-owned Egyptian dailies reported on Wednesday that several of
the high-ranking officers and officials were given civilian posts. Abdul
Rahman was appointed a governor in the southwestern desert; Banna was named
governor of the Aswan region. Shahat, regarded as the number three officer
in the Egyptian military, was given a senior post in the southern city of
Luxor.
In all, the president named the officers to head eight of Egypt's 26
governates. Mubarak did not relay the names of the replacements for the
dismissed officers.
Western diplomatic sources said Mubarak
has avoided launching any domestic initiatives during the summer and
questioned whether the latest shakeup would lead to a new government in
Cairo.
The most far-reaching move by Mubarak, the sources said, was the
dismissal of Shahat, the air defense commander. Shahat received a major
portion of the military budget and his job focused on preventing an Israeli
air attack on Egypt.
"We are talking about some very senior people and some of them were not
known as 'yes-men,'" a diplomatic source said. "It could be that they will
be replaced by far more pliable officers."
The newspaper did not name their replacements in the armed forces. But
Egyptian sources said Mubarak has long wanted a shakeup in the military and
security forces.
The sources said Mubarak has increased his supervision over the military
and security forces amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. This has
included frequent visits to military bases and graduation ceremonies.
On Wednesday, Mubarak attended the graduation ceremony of cadets from
the Military Technical Academy. The president was joined by Defense Minister
Hussein Tantawi.
On Thursday, the G-8 group of industrialized nations meeting in Rome
called on Israel and the Palestinians to allow international observers to
help implement a ceasefire in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Later, aides to
Sharon said the prime minister rejected the G-8 call.
| 
