SCAF considers elections on Feb 23

Lieutenant General Sami Annan, the chief of staff of Egypt's armed forces, said that the Egyptian army was "part and parcel of the great Egyptian nation and are always under its service". "There are no disputes between the Armed Forces and the Egyptian citizens," he said in a statement on Egyptian television. Annan insisted that any decision taken by the armed forces would be for the benefit of the democratic process. Regarding the proposals submitted by the Advisory Council of running the presidential elections on February 23 and restructuring the Ministry of Interior (MoI), Annan said: "The submitted proposals by the Advisory Council are deeply studied by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF)...the proposals which meet the interests of Egypt and Egyptians will be applied." As for the disappearance of the army in securing the MoI, Lieutenant General Annan said that the armed forces cooperated with the MoI in securing its headquarters and the People's Assembly. Meanwhile, he said that SCAF was studying the current conditions of the country and was working on finding solutions for the safety of Egypt, pointing that there would soon be "good news for the great Egyptian people". However, he denied recent reports that he was ill, saying: "This story is totally false, and I thank the Almighty for the blessing of health." Lieutenant General Annan and the SCAF affirmed that they were keen to hand power over to an elected civilian authority through fair elections in the timing declared by the SCAF.