Military rulers apologise for protest deaths

EGYPT’S military rulers apologised for the deaths of demonstrators at the hands of police, while insisting elections will go ahead next week as planned.

“The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) presents its regrets and deep apologies for the deaths of martyrs from among Egypt’s loyal sons during the recent events in Tahrir Square,” it said in a statement on its Facebook page.

There were still large crowds in Cairo’s Tahrir Square yesterday, the scene of days of deadly clashes between security forces and protesters demanding an immediate end of military rule, but the mood was calm after a truce negotiated by Muslim clerics.

“An agreement has been reached between security forces and protesters to halt confrontations between the two sides,” Egypt’s cabinet said on Facebook.

At least 38 protesters have been killed since Saturday — when the clashes erupted — and more than 2,000injured, prompting expressions of concern from Western governments and a UN call for an independent inquiry into the “excessive use of force.”

The demonstrators have been demanding the military leadership step down immediately and allow a return to civilian rule. But the military council said that doing so would amount to a “betrayal” of the people.

“The people have entrusted us with a mission and, if we abandon it now, it would be a betrayal of the people,” senior SCAF member General Mukthar al-Mulla told a news conference.

“The armed forces do not want to stay in power. We want to put the wishes of the people above all else,” he said, adding that since the start of the transitional period it had been the army’s “first objective” to restore security on the streets.

“We will not delay the elections,” said another senior SCAF member, Major General Mamduh Shahine. “This is the final word. They will be conducted according to the original dates.”

Egyptians are set to vote on Monday in the first legislative elections since Hosni Mubarak was ousted, but the violence has cast a dark shadow over the country’s first step to democratic rule.

An Egyptian court meanwhile decided to release three Americans arrested during protests in the square, pending an investigation, according to the official MENA news agency.

And Egyptian-American columnist Mona Eltahawy who was arrested overnight after joining the protests for democratic change said on Twitter that she had been released, but was subjected to hours of sexual assault by police during her detention.

Standard and Poor’s ratings agency said yesterday that it had cut its long-term rating on Egypt, by one notch to ‘B+’, given the country’s deteriorating political and economic outlook.

“The downgrade reflects our opinion that Egypt’s weak political and economic profile .... has deteriorated further” following the clashes in recent days, S&P said.